Former Metropolitan Police Department Chief Peter Newsham has come under fire since his appointment in November to become the new chief in Prince William County. He comes to the Commonwealth’s second largest county with a checkered history, and calls for rescinding his appointment have been widespread. This weekend, the people will continue to let their voices be heard.

Defend Prince William County will hold a march and rally at 2:00 pm, Saturday, January 30, 2021 outside the McCoart Building to demand that the Prince William County Board of Supervisors fire Police Chief Peter Newsham. The group will assemble at 1:30pm. Following the rally, the group will march along Prince William Parkway with signs and banners before returning to the McCoart building for a closing rally. The rally will feature speeches by residents of Prince William County and Washington, DC, expressing why Peter Newsham is the wrong choice for the county. Demands of the march and rally include:

• Fire Peter Newsham Immediately
• Address Racial Profiling Within the Prince William Police
• Respecting the Lives of Black Lives Matter Protestors

In addition to these demands, Defend Prince William County will also announce the establishment of its own hotline and website to report any police abuse or violations of people’s rights. This comes at a time in which many people of the county are concerned that there will be any meaningful oversight of the police or reporting of police misconduct.

Among the policies Newsham has implemented or promoted in Washington, DC are: widespread stop and frisk actions targeting communities of color, the illegal “kettling” of protesters resulting in tens of millions of court-ordered fines against the DC government, the militarization of the police including use of armored vehicles, rubber bullets, tear gas, pepper spray and flash bang grenades against protestors, and a history of preferential policing policies for wealthier neighborhoods.

According to John Steinbach, one of the march and rally organizers and long-time Prince William resident, “Peter Newsham is a repeated and flagrant violator of human and civil rights. He is not someone we want involved in any way with the community here in Prince William County.”