Fredericksburg to resume normal traffic enforcement after weeks of protests

Fredericksburg police to resume normal traffic enforcement July 6.

After weeks of protests, and garnering national attention on the Fox News Channel, Fredericksburg officials announced things would return to normal on its streets.

Starting July 6, city police will no longer allow protesters to stand in city streets, impeding traffic.

A statement from the city reads:

The City, starting at 12:01 a.m. Monday, July 6, 2020, will be enforcing traffic-safety laws Citywide after three weeks of altered traffic management during a time that allowed spontaneous demonstrations to occur. For the safety of all, police will inform all demonstrators who are protesting without an approved permit in the streets that they are violating traffic-safety laws and thus could be subject to a citation. Those who continue to protest in the street without an approved permit could be issued a traffic citation.

The move comes after weeks of protests organized by supporters of Black Lives Matter. On June 13, a woman with a small child inside of her car called 911 report protesters that were blocking the street, and that they were touching her car.

The dispatcher told her there was little the police could do and suggested she call city hall to complain, according to an audio recording of call played on Tucker Carlson Tonight on the Fox News Channel.

That drew ire from “Back the Blue” marchers who gathered Sunday, June 27 at Hurkamp Park in Downtown Fredericksburg in support of law enforcement. They matched to the city’s police station where some heckled City Mayor Katherine Greenlaw, who issued an apology to Black Lives Matter protesters during a city council meeting on June 23.

The city twice used tear gas to disperse the protestors over the course of the past month. Black Lives Matter protestors are expected to gather at Hurkamp Park at 4 p.m. Wednesday, July 1, for a march from downtown to the city police department. They’ll walk the same route the “Back the Blue” marchers took on Sunday.

The city says it will continue to issue permits for those who want to peacefully demonstrate within the city limits. Applicants should apply in advance at eventpermit.fxbg.com, or call 540-372-1086 for more information.