The

murder of George Floyd On , George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was murdered in the U.S. city of Minneapolis by Derek Chauvin, a 44-year-old white police officer. Floyd had been arrested on suspicion of using a counterfeit $20 bill. Chauvin knelt on Floyd's ...

on May 25, 2020 triggered a wave of protests throughout Tennessee in late May and early June 2020.

Locations

Bristol

On June 1, about 200 people held a candlelight vigil for George Floyd on State Street in both Bristol, Tennessee and Bristol, Virginia. The protests were largely peacefully held across the Tri-Cities region of Southwest Virginia and East Tennessee.

Chattanooga

Hundreds protested at Miller Park followed by a march across the Walnut Street Bridge at mid-day on May 30. On May 31, protesters marched from

Coolidge Park Coolidge Park is a park located on the North Shore of Chattanooga, Tennessee along the Tennessee River. It has an interactive water fountain, rock climbing, a pavilion, picnic amenities, a military memorial, and a 100-year old restored antique ...

to the Hamilton County Courthouse. After protesters removed some light fixtures and tore down a flag near the courthouse, the National Guard, the

Tennessee Highway Patrol The Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) is the State Patrol organization for the U.S. state of Tennessee, responsible for enforcing all federal and state laws relating to traffic on the state's federal and state highways. The agency was created to pr ...

and Chattanooga Police Department began arresting people and dispersing the crowds with tear gas. On June 3, during the fifth day of peaceful protests, police arrested a man standing on a rooftop along the route of the march with multiple firearms including an

AK-47 The AK-47, officially known as the ''Avtomat Kalashnikova'' (; also known as the Kalashnikov or just AK), is a gas-operated assault rifle that is chambered for the 7.62×39mm cartridge. Developed in the Soviet Union by Russian small-arms d ...

and six beers.

Clarksville

On May 30, over 200 participated in a protest in Clarksville that shut down a major highway but remained peaceful.

Cleveland

Dozens protested in downtown Cleveland in front of the Bradley County courthouse and headquarters of the Cleveland Police Department on May 31. The protest was peaceful, and included protesters discussing police brutality issues with local law enforcement.

Jackson

Almost 200 protestors showed up to protest peacefully at Jackson City Hall on May 30.

Johnson City

Hundreds of protesters gathered in Johnson City for several days on May 31. Several arrests were made.

Knoxville

Hundreds of protesters demonstrated on May 29 in front of police headquarters and then marched through downtown Knoxville.

Memphis

Silent demonstrations of around 40 people protesting the murder of Floyd, the

death of Breonna Taylor Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old African-American woman, was fatally shot in her Louisville, Kentucky apartment on March 13, 2020, when at least seven police officers forced entry into the apartment as part of an investigation into drug dealing op ...

in Kentucky, and the

murder of Ahmaud Arbery On February 23, 2020, Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old black man, was murdered during a racially motivated hate crime while jogging in Satilla Shores, a neighborhood near Brunswick in Glynn County, Georgia.

, led to "verbal confrontations" with Memphis police and two counter-protesters from the

Facebook group Facebook is a social-network service website launched on February 4, 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg. The following is a list of software and technology features that can be found on the Facebook website and mobile app and are available to users of t ...

Confederate 901. On May 27, protesters shut down Union Avenue near McLean Boulevard. Just after midnight Saturday night, police in riot gear clashed with a large crowd on Beale Street. Shelby County Commissioner Tami Sawyer, who was on scene, tweeted: "Memphis police have threatened to use lethal force if we don't leave the parking lot. They have arrested our friends. We're not leaving." On Sunday Evening May 31, the fifth straight day of protests, more riot police attempted to disperse a crowd of 100 that were occupying Main Street. A curfew went into effect in Memphis, TN, on Monday, June 1, from 22:00 to 06:00, and was extended the following day to June 8.

Morristown

On May 30, a group of around 150 protesters gathered at 9 p.m. and peacefully marched up and down Morristown's Main Street District, chanting phrases such as “

I can't breathe "I can't breathe" is a slogan associated with the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States. The phrase originates from the last words of Eric Garner, an unarmed man who was killed in 2014 after being put in a chokehold by a New York C ...

” and “

no justice, no peace "No justice, no peace" is a political slogan which originated during protests against acts of ethnic violence against African Americans. Its precise meaning is contested. The slogan was used as early as 1986, following the killing of Michael Gri ...

.” No buildings or property in the downtown area were damaged. One counter-protester with a

thin blue line The "thin blue line" is a term that typically refers to the concept of the police as the line which keeps society from descending into violent chaos. The "blue" in "thin blue line" refers to the blue color of the uniforms of many police depart ...

flag was struck in the face and taken away by ambulance. The protesters blocked off the parking garage to the city center at around 11 p.m. where a line of police officers were stationed. The protesters threw small rocks and water bottles at the officers' feet and were ordered to disperse around 12:40 a.m. One man was arrested on June 3 for allegedly assaulting the counter-protester during the protest, as well as for felony evading arrest and reckless endangerment. The man had escaped a police chase on June 1 and fled to

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...

Murfreesboro

On May 31, a group of around 50 protesters marched toward a building on the

Middle Tennessee State University Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU or MT) is a public university in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Founded in 1911 as a normal school, the university consists of eight Undergraduate education, undergraduate colleges as well as a college of Postgr ...

campus named after Ku Klux Klan leader Nathan Bedford Forrest but were stopped by police in armored vehicles. Police accused protesters of vandalizing an armored car and throwing a brick through the window of a local business. A 12-year-old girl was injured by tear gas. Mayor Shane McFarland issued a state of emergency order. A curfew was in effect as of 6:30 pm. Earlier in the day, a peaceful vigil was held at the Rutherford County Courthouse with hundreds of participants.

Nashville

On May 30, thousands gathered for a protest in downtown Nashville, the capital of Tennessee; protesters peacefully demonstrated in Legislative Plaza and then marched to a police department. In the evening, the crowd damaged a police car, threw rocks and sprayed graffiti; at least 5 were arrested. Mayor John Cooper declared a state of emergency and called in the national guard after a spate of arsons, including the burning of Nashville's courthouse. The Nashville Autonomous Zone, sometimes referred to as the Ida B. Wells Plaza, was an attempt to declare an autonomous zone on the

Capitol grounds The Capitol Grounds Capitol Park (I), was a baseball field in Washington, D.C. The grounds were the home field for the Washington Nationals (UA), Washington Nationals of the Union Association during the league's only season in . The ballpark had a ...

of Nashville,

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

. It was an attempt to mirror the

Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone The Capitol Hill Occupied Protest or the Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP), originally Free Capitol Hill and later the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ), was an occupation protest and self-declared autonomous zone in the Capitol Hill nei ...

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

, though this "zone" never actually formed and was more of an occupational protest of the Tennessee State Capitol. On June 12 local activists called for protesters to occupy the Capitol grounds, starting at 5:00 p.m. local time. Fliers circulated by organizers demanded "Fire Chief Anderson. Defund the Police. Demilitarize the Police. Remove Racist Statues." In the wake of

Occupy Wall Street Occupy Wall Street (OWS) was a protest movement against economic inequality and the influence of money in politics that began in Zuccotti Park, located in New York City's Wall Street financial district, in September 2011. It gave rise to t ...

the Tennessee State Legislature passed law making the occupation of State land after 10:00 p.m. a Class A misdemeanor.

Aftermath

In August 2020, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed legislation in response to the protests that made it a

felony A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious. The term "felony" originated from English common law (from the French medieval word "félonie") to describe an offense that resu ...

to participate in certain types of protest. Under the legislation, camping on state property is punishable by six years' imprisonment and the loss of the right to vote. Tennessee was the first state to pass anti-protest legislation in response to the George Floyd protests.

References

External links

WBIR: Video of protesters marching in Morristown (31 May 2020)
{{George Floyd protests 2020 in Tennessee Riots and civil disorder in Tennessee

May 2020 events in the United States June 2020 events in the United States