- 7:30 p.m. â Officers will make announcements over loudspeakers educating citizens the curfew begins in 30 minutes. The announcements will continue until all crowds have dispersed. Officers will also distribute copies of the curfew to educate citizens.
- 8:00 p.m. â Officers will approach all remaining citizens and ask them again to disperse as the curfew is in effect.
- 8:15 p.m. â Officers will continue to make announcements and hand out copies of the curfew order.
- 8:30 p.m. â Officers will approach remaining citizens and, once again, speak to them individually about the need to obey the order. Citizens who do not comply will be arrested.
"Please be assured we will work diligently to ensure our community's visitors are cared for with respect and compassion. If they [protestors] do not obey our orders, we will work to enforce the curfew to maintain our community's safety and order," said Fredericksburg Police Chief Brian Layton.
The plan, which was enacted at last night's protests, was not adhered to by protestors.
"The Curfew Education Plan was executed and protesters ignored the curfew order. From 8:00 p.m. till approximately 11:00 p.m., protesters walked in public roadways, attempted to gain entry to parked vehicles, and placed objects in roadways to block traffic. At 10:15 p.m., officers began issuing citations for violation of the curfew and pedestrian in roadways. Fifteen people were charged with these citations and released on their own accord," stated a press release from the City of Fredericksburg.The June 1 protests began at 3 p.m. with a small group of people walking down the sidewalks in downtown Fredericksburg. As the group grew and time passed, protestors began to walk in the roadways.
"Protesters were stretched across two lanes of traffic on Caroline Street, ignoring motorists and putting themselves as well as drivers in danger. Protesters continued to display unlawful behavior walking in roadways, spray painting parked vehicles, and destroying property," stated a press release from the City of Fredericksburg.Protestors then began to march across Falmouth Bridge, entering Stafford County. On the bridge, unidentified members of the protest smashed the window of a vehicle containing a man, woman, and infant child. The glass landed on the child, whose injuries appear to be non-life threatening, according to the Stafford County Sheriff's Office. Stafford County authorities used CS gas (teargas) on the protestors in an attempt to subdue them. No CS gas was deployed in the city of Fredericksburg.
The Fredericksburg City Government, in an abundance of caution for additional protests, has closed government offices at 2 p.m. according to a press release from the city's Public Information Officer, Sonja Cantu.
This comes in light of what the city's Fire Chief, Mike Jones, called a 'civil disturbance' that Fredericksburg faced on May 31 when peaceful protests turned unruly and people refused to disperse. Protestors, as well as Virginia Delegate Joshua Cole, were subdued with tear gas by police.
"What started out as a peaceful protest later turned into an angry group of people who would not listen to reason when told to disperse. This resulted in the need to take measures to protect our citizens and their properties. We do not wish to see a repeat of this again," said Chief Jones.
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At 8:34 p.m., police deployed tear gas to disperse protestors heading towards the Fredericksburg police headquarters at 2200 Cowan Boulevard from the intersection of Route One and Cowan Boulevard, according to a press release from the Fredericksburg Police Department. In addition to the general protestors, Delegate Joshua Cole also inhaled gas. It was announced that Delegate Cole was 'attacked with tear gas by the Fredericksburg police while attempting to check on kids tear-gassed by police,' on his Facebook by his Chief of Staff.This is what happens when you try to peacefully protest #Fredericksburg #GeorgeFloydProtests #RIPGeorgeFloyd pic.twitter.com/ccI8B9BFFm
â z (@338rk) June 1, 2020
"There are young people who are out protesting, and I want to be very clear: they are not rioting, they are not looting. I came down here to check on people and to tell kids to get home. As I'm ushering kids to go the other way...there was pops and there was tear gas that came out. I came in contact two times while I was down there," said Delegate Cole in a Facebook livestream.Protestors allege rubber bullets were fired as well, but the Fredericksburg Police Department says no rubber bullets were fired Sunday night.
"No agencies used rubber bullets at any time on Sunday, May 31st or in the early hours of Monday, June 1st during the unlawful assembly on Cowan Boulevard and in downtown Fredericksburg. Tear gas was deployed to disperse the crowds who threatened innocent bystanders and police, were unsafely blocking streets, throwing rocks, and vandalizing vehicles as well as historic structures after being giving multiple attempts to leave. The Fredericksburg Police did deploy sting ball grenades were used when the crowds became volatile. VSP deployed flashbangs," said Fredericksburg police spokeswoman Sarah Kirkpatrick.
Protestors also alleged the gas was deployed to incite violence."Tear gas was used around Cowan later in the day. While protesters actively walked away things were still going off. Police are trying to make this protest violent by deploying the tear gas," said Ally Miller, a King George County resident.The protest, which was held in light of the killing of George Floyd by former Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, began in the early evening with 250-300 at Market Square in downtown Fredericksburg. The protestors then moved to Princess Anne Street, where it is reported that they 'struck and pounded on parked vehicles.' An unlawful assembly was declared as protestors moved from Princess Anne Street to Cowan Boulevard, officers present 'continued to ask protesters to leave the area which they ignored,' according to a statement from Fredericksburg police."Officers continue to declare an unlawful assembly to each group they encounter and continue to request they leave the area. Fredericksburg Police ask that residents of the downtown district shelter in place until further notice," according to a statement from Fredericksburg police.In addition to the Fredericksburg Police Department, the Fredericksburg Sheriffâs Office, the University of Mary Washington Police Department, the Spotsylvania Sheriffâs Office, the Stafford County Sheriffâs Office, and the Virginia State Police were present to assist in controlling the protest.FREDERICKSBURG STAND UP!!!!!!!!! We did that!!!!!!!???????? pic.twitter.com/zZfxf38u4Q
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The Republican Party of Virginia (RPV) has called for the immediate resignation of Delegate Lee Carter (D-Manassas, Bristow) for ‘abusing his power as an elected official in Virginia to bully and intimidate law enforcement officers and threaten to cut police budgets.’
This comes in the wake of a video posted on Facebook by Isaiah Knight, the Director-Elect of the Peaks of Otter Soil and Water Conservation District and Chairman of Virginia Families PAC, that appears to depict Delegate Carter saying ‘I’m a member of the general assembly. I write the state police’s budget. They’re gonna f***ing regret it.’
“Delegate Carter has not only dishonored the memory of George Floyd, he has also cheapened any justice that his killer will face. The law enforcement officers in Manassas had nothing to do with the tragedy in Minnesota, and did not deserve to be screamed at and threatened by an elected official in the Virginia House of Delegates,” read a statement from the RPV.
“When an elected official takes that opportunity to berate brave Virginia first responders doing their jobs to protect the innocent from violence, a line must be drawn. Lee Carter must resign today,” read a statement from the RPV.
Potomac Local News cannot independently confirm that the person in the video was Delegate Carter, as it came from an anonymous source, but we can confirm that the delegate was present at the protest where the video was taken.
Delegate Carter announced on Twitter that he was sprayed with CS gas (mace) on Saturday, May 30, by Virignia State Police at a protest on Sudley Road near Manassas.. Carter also tweeted that police tried to hit him with a flashbang as he walked away from them.
âVirginia State Police sprayed CS directly into my left eye after refusing to answer basic questions for 45minâŠ. They tried to flashbang me again while I was walking away. Twice. They missed. I saved the hand thrown container,â tweeted Delegate Carter.
When reached for comment Sunday, Carter said he declined to provide comment for this news outlet.
The Sudley Road protest, which was held in light of the killing of George Floyd by former Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, began peacefully about 5 p.m. It later escalated as crowds increased significantly and unidentified individuals began throwing objects at drivers, causing officers from the Prince William County, Manassas City, Fairfax County, Virginia State, and Haymarket Police to arrive at the scene and declare an unlawful assembly.
“During the protests, multiple businesses along the Sudley Rd corridor sustained damage and two small fires were reported to shrubbery and a trash receptacle. Numerous police vehicles were also reportedly damaged throughout the evening,” stated Johnathan Perok, the Public Information Office Supervisor for the Prince William County Police in a press release.
Protestors, of which there were estimated to be 250, were asked to vacate the area by police and ‘given the opportunity to disperse peacefully.’ Many protestors did not follow police orders, and alleged the use of tear gas and rubber bullets against them. The Prince William County Police have confirmed the use of both tactics at an emergency meeting held by the Prince William County Board of Supervisors on May 31.
âSince I was in front of the crowd, I inhaled some of it [tear gas] and ended up running because it was too much to handle. I started coughing and I have to rub my eyes as well. Fortunately, I wasnât hit by a rubber bullet, but it landed near me,â said Emily Jasmine Reyes, a protestor and Stonewall Jackson High School student.
The protest resulted in five arrests, including a DUI and ‘other offenses for driving through a police perimeter,” the injury of four Prince William County police officers, one of whom was taken to a local hospital, and the calling of an emergency meeting by the Prince William County Board of Supervisors.
A popular Chick-fil-A location in Fredericksburg has closed down, and not just because it's Sunday.
It has been confirmed, by both Chick-fil-A and numerous Facebook posts from customers, that at least one staff member at the restaurant located at 1698 Carl D. Silver Parkway in Central Park has been diagnosed with the new coronavirus. The restaurant has reportedly closed.
Employees at the location were told on Tuesday, May 26, that a member of the staff was diagnosed with the virus. Yet, the location did not close down until Friday, May 29.
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A peaceful protest escalated into civil unrest Saturday evening, ending in multiple arrests and a Virginia State Delegate in a standoff with police.
Virginia Delegate Lee Carter (D-Manassas, Bristow) announced on Twitter tonight that he was sprayed with CS gas (tear gas) by a Virginia State Police officer at a protest on Sudley Road. Carter also alleged that police tried to hit him with a flashbang as he walked away from them.
“Virginia State Police sprayed CS directly into my left eye after refusing to answer basic questions for 45min…. They tried to flashbang me again while I was walking away. Twice. They missed. I saved the hand thrown container,” tweeted Delegate Carter.
They tried to flashbang me again while I was walking away. Twice. One hand thrown, one weapon launched. They missed. I saved the hand thrown canister. https://t.co/Jg4NmOlKLc
â Lee ? Carter (@carterforva) May 31, 2020
Police used CS gas on Carter after Facebook Live video showed the delegate in a faceoff with police in riot gear while standing on the corner of Sudley Road and Sudley Manor Drive, the site of the protest near Manassas.
Virignia State Police told Potomac Local News, “in an effort to safely disperse the violent crowd, state police has utilized non-lethal tactics, such as OC ‘pepper’ spray and powder.”
Prince William police, the first agency on the scene, did not use so-called non-lethal tactics, department spokesman Jonathan Perok told Potomac Local News.
Protestors who spoke with, as well as videos and photos obtained by Potomac Local News, show that rubber bullets and tear gas were fired at what was estimated to be 100-300 protestors, many of whom are young adults and teenagers. It’s unclear who fired the rubber bullets.
“…so it all started when I raised my hands up peacefully and proceeded to walk closer to the officers I got down on one knee and repeatedly said ‘I am unarmed,’ and I heard two shots fired by someone else getting hit with one and one skimming off the side of my fingers which I bled from,” Fizan Ali, a George Mason University Student told Potomac Local News, describing what it was like being hit with a rubber bullet.
Tear gas was also used on the crowd.
“Since I was in front of the crowd, I inhaled some of it [tear gas] and ended up running because it was too much to handle. I started coughing and I have to rub my eyes as well. Fortunately, I wasn’t hit by a rubber bullet, but it landed near me,” said Emily Jasmine Reyes, a protestor and Stonewall Jackson High School student.
“I didn’t get a full dose of it [tear gas], but enough to breathe in. It burned all the way down to my lungs, even as I walked further back. Plenty of people around me were choking and gagging,” said Amber, who asked we only use her first name for this story.
The protest began peacefully with little to no police present, but the atmosphere changed at 8:10 p.m. when an unidentified individual threw an unknown object at a driver.
Police, who were staged at nearby Bull Run Library, issued a Signal 1, prompting officers to swarm the intersection of Sudley Manor and Sudley Road to put down what the Prince William County Police Department called civil unrest.
Hours into the incident, protesters continued to hurl rocks and bottles at police from the parking of a nearby Red Lobster restaurant. Prince William police brought Mulitple paddy wagons from its Eastern District (Garfield) Police Station on Route 1 in Woodbridge to the site of the protest, where several protesters were rounded up at the Manassas Campus of Northern Virginia Community College and were arrested.
It’s unclear how many people were arrested during Saturday evening’s protest.
In the early phase of the civil unrest, police closed portions of Sudley Road, between Sudley Manor Drive and Interstate 66. Virginia State Police were called to shut down the highway interchange to prevent drivers from exiting toward Manassas.
Manassas City police also assisted in controlling the crowd.
Cities across the nation erupted in protest Saturday night in the wake of the death of George Floyd, 46, who was killed on May 25, 2020. Video shows a Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, placing his knee on Floyd’s holding him down on the ground during an arrest attempt.
Video captured by onlookers captured Floyd saying “I can’t breathe,” and “please don’t kill me” in the final moments of his life.
Four officers, including Chauvin, were fired from the Minneapolis police force. None have been convicted in Floyd’s death. An FBI investigation is ongoing.
Saturday night’s nationwide protests, unofficially and effectively, marked an end to strict social distancing measures that were voluntarily and widely observed by U.S. citizens after President Donald Trump shut down the country 79 days ago at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.
Nancy B. Weaver, a retiring second-grade teacher at T. Clay Wood Elementary School, has had a love of reading since she was a young girl, but she never imagined she would have a library named in her honor.Â
âI have always loved to read. I have fond memories of my mother reading to me when I was too young to read by myself, and I loved hearing the stories she read to my sister and me,â Weaver said.
On March 20, the Prince William County School Board approved Principal Andrew Buchheitâs request to name the T. Clary Wood Elementary School library after Weaver. The library naming was done as a surprise retirement gift.Â
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The Stafford County School Board has unanimously approved a plan to provide compensation to secondary, or middle school teachers who teach over 150 students or 25 class periods a week.Â
This compensation was amended into the Virginia Administrative Code last fiscal year, stating that if a secondary and/or middle school âclassroom teacher teaches more than 150 students or 25 class periods per week, an appropriate contractual arrangement and compensation shall be provided.â
According to documentation from the school board, there are 156 classroom teachers and 36 physical education/music teachers who qualify for this compensation.Â
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In February, Prince William County Schools Superintendent Steve Walts submitted his six-priority budget proposal for the 2020-2021 school year. The proposal, unique in nature, included 2.1 million to support student mental health, 4.8 million to support college/career/military readiness, and a 2.8% raise for teachers and staff.Â
The budget, and many of the aforementioned parts of it, has been slashed, as the Prince William Board of Supervisors approved a decrease of $10 million during their meeting on May 19, and the school board adopted it during their meeting on May 20.Â
This budget cut comes due to the loss of $35 million in county revenue, and $17 million in state revenue, according to figures provided by Prince William County Schools. The loss of revenue is mainly to blame on the new coronavirus, as it has caused major job losses due to the forced closure of non-essential businesses and stay-at-home orders.Â
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Three years ago the Prince William County Planning Commission approved the location for the unnamed â13thâ High School, with plans for it to open in September of 2021.
Now, the new high school is one step closer to gaining a name, as during the May 20 school board meeting ten possible names were put forth.Â
The names were selected from the top 10 most frequent suggestions submitted Prince William County residents, of which there were 394. The suggestions were collected by the high schoolâs naming committee, comprising school board Chairman At-large Babur Lateef, Brentsville District representative Adele Jackson, and Gainesville District representative Jennifer Wall.Â
