There have been a series of

George Floyd protests The George Floyd protests were a series of protests and civil unrest against police brutality and racism that began in Minneapolis on May 26, 2020, and largely took place during 2020. The civil unrest and protests began as part of internati ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. Following 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 n ...

by a police officer, protests spread from

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

to other parts of the United States, including Virginia. Protests broke out in

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

on the night of May 28 and spread to over 50 other cities over the following days.

List of protests in Virginia

Central Virginia

* Appomattox: On June 4, locals participated in a prayer vigil calling for peaceful unity and healing of racial tensions. * Ashland: On June 3, demonstrators gathered at the Ashland Town Hall and then marched to the police station. *

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...

: On June 6, about 100 protesters gathered at Washington Street Baptist Church and marched to the Bedford County Courthouse. *

Bowling Green A bowling green is a finely laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of turf for playing the game of bowls. Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding of Thrupp, near Stroud, UK, invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep on ...

: On June 7, local pastors organized a prayer rally in front of the Caroline County Courthouse. *

Charlottesville Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen Cha ...

: About 15 people demonstrated with signs on University Avenue on May 29. On Saturday, a large crowd of nearly a thousand flooded the streets near the police station, briefly blocking an intersection during a #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd event. *

Lakeside Lakeside or Lake Side may refer to: Places Australia * Lakeside College, Pakenham, Victoria * Lakeside Joondalup Shopping City, Joondalup, Western Australia * Lakeside, near Reservoir, Victoria * Lakeside International Raceway, Pine Rivers, Quee ...

: On June 7, Harry H. Rogers, a 36-year-old leader of the

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and ...

, drove a truck into a group of protestors, injuring at least one. Rogers was arrested, charged with "attempted malicious wounding, felony vandalism, and assault and battery", and was held without bond. In 2021, he was sentenced to 44 months in prison. * Lawrenceville: On June 2, about 125 protesters marched from Saint Paul's College to Courthouse Square. * Lynchburg: About 100 people gathered for a Black Lives Matter protest outside the Lynchburg Community Market on May 30. On June 1, two Lynchburg officers were hospitalized after being assaulted by a crowd of rioters that evening. *

Shenandoah Valley

* Covington: On June 5, protesters gathered in downtown Covington. *

Front Royal Front Royal is the only incorporated town in Warren County, Virginia, United States. The population was 15,011 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Warren County. History The entire Shenandoah Valley including the area to become F ...

: On June 5, approximately 1,200 protesters gathered at Bing Crosby Stadium. The organizers claimed that it was the largest protest to ever happen in Front Royal. * Harrisonburg: On May 29, over 300 people gathered to protest in Court Square. The protesters broke out into chants, and at one point knelt like

Colin Kaepernick Colin Rand Kaepernick ( ; born November 3, 1987) is an American civil rights activist and football quarterback who is a free agent. He played six seasons for the San Francisco 49ers in the National Football League (NFL). In 2016, he knelt dur ...

's police brutality protests. There was a rally in Court Square Friday, May 28, with a follow-up rally scheduled for Friday June 5 at 5:30 with a prayer and rally at 6:00. There was a silent march on Monday June 1 at 6:00 that drew over 1,000 protesters calling for an end to police brutality and systemic racism. The March began at Liberty Park and proceeded down Liberty St. before turning onto Main St. and returning to Liberty Park without incident other than a woman attempting to drive through the protesters as they crossed an intersection. She was stopped. No one was injured, and the march proceeded without even slowing down. * Lexington: On June 3, a protest in downtown Lexington drew hundreds of participants. *

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...

: On June 4, hundred of protesters marched along Madison Road from the Orange Village Shopping Center to the Courthouse on Main Street. * Staunton: On May 30, about 150 protesters marched to the

Augusta County Courthouse The Augusta County Courthouse is a two-story, red brick, public building in Staunton, Virginia. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1982. It was designed by T.J. Collins, and construction ended in the Autumn of 190 ...

where a "Justice for George Floyd" rally was held. Speakers included the granddaughter of a

KKK The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and ...

member. * Waynesboro: On June 3, about 150 protesters gathered outside of the Thomas Gorsuch Municipal Building. *

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

: On May 31, peaceful protests were being held in Winchester that marched through the streets, ending in a scene at Picadilly Circle. Protesters were chanting "I Can't Breathe" while marching through the streets, and finally with "Black Lives Matter" while at the end point of Picadilly. Police were seen directing traffic around and away from the protestors in an attempt to keep the public safe. No injuries or arrests have been made public yet.

Southwest Virginia

* Abingdon: On June 6, participants gathered for a peace vigil at the Appalachian Peace Education Center in Abingdon. * Blacksburg: About 300 people peacefully demonstrated on Main Street on June 1. *

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

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

East Tennessee East Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee defined in state law. Geographically and socioculturally distinct, it comprises approximately the eastern third of the U.S. state of Tennessee. East Tennessee consists of 33 count ...

. * Danville: On June 1, dozens of protesters marched up and down Main Street in Danville. *

Galax ''Galax'', the wandplant, wandflower, or beetleweed, is a genus in the flowering plant family Diapensiaceae, containing a single species, ''Galax urceolata'' (synonym (taxonomy), syn. ''G. rotundifolia'', ''G. aphylla''). It is native to the sou ...

: On June 3, approximately 70 protesters gathered at Felts Park and marched to the Galax Police Department courtyard. *

Marion Marion may refer to: People *Marion (given name) *Marion (surname) *Marion Silva Fernandes, Brazilian footballer known simply as "Marion" *Marion (singer), Filipino singer-songwriter and pianist Marion Aunor (born 1992) Places Antarctica * Mari ...

: On June 13, protesters were met with counter-protesters outside the

Smyth County Smyth County is a county located in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 29,800. Its county seat is Marion. History Smyth County was formed on February 23, 1832, from Washington and Wythe counties. The county ...

Courthouse. Hours later a

burning cross In modern times, cross burning or cross lighting is a practice which is associated with the Ku Klux Klan. However, it was practiced long before the Klan's inception. Since the early 20th century, the Klan burned crosses on hillsides as a way to i ...

was placed in the yard of the 17-year-old organizer of the rally. * Martinsville: On May 31, approximately 100 people gathered to protest in Martinsville. On June 1, another crowd of protesters gathered in a

Walgreens Walgreen Company, d/b/a Walgreens, is an American company that operates the second-largest pharmacy store chain in the United States behind CVS Health. It specializes in filling prescriptions, health and wellness products, health information, an ...

parking lot. *

Norton Norton may refer to: Places Norton, meaning 'north settlement' in Old English, is a common place name. Places named Norton include: Canada *Rural Municipality of Norton No. 69, Saskatchewan *Norton Parish, New Brunswick **Norton, New Brunswick, a ...

: On June 1, dozens of participants gathered to protest the murder of George Floyd. * Roanoke: About 100 people protested in

Downtown Roanoke Downtown is the central business district of Roanoke, Virginia, United States. Located geographically at the center of the city, Downtown began its development with the completion of the Shenandoah Valley Railroad in 1882. Today the Downtown co ...

on May 30. At least one person was arrested. * Rocky Mount: On June 3, about 50 protesters gathered in front of the Franklin County courthouse. Two police officers who danced the

electric slide The Electric (better known as The Electric Slide) is a four wall line dance set to Marcia Griffiths and Bunny Wailer's song "Electric Boogie". Choreographer, pianist and Broadway performer Richard L. "Ric" Silver created the dance in 1976 from a ...

with BLM protesters were later arrested for taking part in the

2021 storming of the United States Capitol On January 6, 2021, following the defeat of then-United States President, U.S. President Donald Trump in the 2020 United States presidential election, 2020 presidential election, a mob of his supporters attacked the United States Capitol, U ...

. *

Wytheville Wytheville is a town in, and the county seat of, Wythe County, in southwestern Virginia, United States. It is named after George Wythe, a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence, and mentor to Thomas Jefferson. Wytheville's populat ...

: On June 2, approximately 300 protesters marched from Al Jennings Field at

Wytheville Community College Wytheville Community College (WCC) is a public community college in Wytheville, Virginia. It is part of the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) and opened in 1963 as a two-year branch of Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University. WC ...

to Withers Park.

Northern Virginia

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

: In the wake of the protests, the city removed the ''Appomattox'' statue on June 2, one of the last remaining statues in the city honoring soldiers who fought for the

Confederate States The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...

. The statue had originally been planned to be removed in July 2020, but the statue's owners, the

United Daughters of the Confederacy The United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) is an American neo-Confederate hereditary association for female descendants of Confederate Civil War soldiers engaging in the commemoration of these ancestors, the funding of monuments to them, ...

, opted to remove it sooner. The same day, a vigil for George Floyd was held. * Arlington: Given the county's proximity to Washington, D.C., most of the protests focused on George Floyd were in Washington, D.C. The

Arlington County Police Department The Arlington County Police Department (ACPD) is the municipal law enforcement agency servicing the 238,643 residents of the of jurisdiction within Arlington County, Virginia. It is the primary law enforcement agency in the county for all levels ...

had been assisting the D.C. Metro Police, the U.S. Capitol Police, the

Secret Service A secret service is a government agency, intelligence agency, or the activities of a government agency, concerned with the gathering of intelligence data. The tasks and powers of a secret service can vary greatly from one country to another. For ...

, the

U.S. Park Police The United States Park Police (USPP) is one of the oldest uniformed federal law enforcement agencies in the United States. It functions as a full-service law enforcement agency with responsibilities and jurisdiction in those National Park Servic ...

, and Metro Transit Police with the protests in Washington, but were pulled by the state following the Trump bible controversy. On June 4, hundreds of protesters gathered in

Court House A courthouse or court house is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English-sp ...

and marched to Clarendon. *

Burke Burke is an Anglo-Norman Irish surname, deriving from the ancient Anglo-Norman and Hiberno-Norman noble dynasty, the House of Burgh. In Ireland, the descendants of William de Burgh (–1206) had the surname ''de Burgh'' which was gaelicised ...

: Protesters held a rally at the intersection of Burke Centre Parkway and Roberts Road on June 5. *

Clifton Clifton may refer to: People *Clifton (surname) *Clifton (given name) Places Australia * Clifton, Queensland, a town **Shire of Clifton *Clifton, New South Wales, a suburb of Wollongong *Clifton, Western Australia Canada *Clifton, Nova Scotia ...

: In June, the city government raised a banner reading "Welcome to Clifton where Black Lives Matter" over Main Street. The banner prompted outrage from some people in nearby towns, including

Ginni Thomas Virginia "Ginni" Thomas ( Lamp; born February 23, 1957) is an American attorney and conservative activist. In 1987, she married Clarence Thomas, who became an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States in 1991. Her conservativ ...

, who is the wife of the only black justice on the

U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

. * Culpeper: A peaceful protest with between 700 and 800 participants took place on June 6. *

Dumfries Dumfries ( ; sco, Dumfries; from gd, Dùn Phris ) is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is located near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth about by road from the ...

: On June 5, about 75 protesters in Dumfries marched onto

Interstate 95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1, US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between M ...

, briefly shutting it down. Nearly 50 arrests were made. *

Fairfax City The City of Fairfax ( ), colloquially known as Fairfax City, Downtown Fairfax, Old Town Fairfax, Fairfax Courthouse, FFX, or simply Fairfax, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. At the 2010 census the p ...

: On June 6, over 3,000 protestors in Fairfax gathered in the city's old town square in support of Black Lives Matter. It was organized by Fairfax High School students. *

Falls Church Falls Church is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,658. Falls Church is included in the Washington metropolitan area. Taking its name from The Falls Church, an 18th-century Churc ...

: On June 4, hundreds of protesters marched down Park Avenue in Falls Church. * Fredericksburg: Several hundred protestors marched in Downtown Fredericksburg and near the Central Park Mall on May 30. * Leesburg: On May 31, nearly 1,500 people attended protests in Downtown Leesburg; the protests were largely peaceful. Leesburg Town Council member Ron Campbell, the only African-American on Town Council, addressed the crowd. * Manassas: On May 30, several hundred protesters gathered around the area of Sudley Road and Sudley Manor Drive.

State State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

and local police arrived and shortly thereafter declared the gathering an unlawful assembly. Up to two officers received minor injuries. State Delegate

Lee J. Carter Lee Jin Carter (born June 2, 1987) is an American former politician who represented the 50th district in the Virginia House of Delegates from 2018 to 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, he defeated Jackson Miller, the Republican House Major ...

, who represents part of the area in the

Virginia's House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-number ...

, attended the protest. Delegate Carter was hit with pepper spray and multiple flashbang grenades after identifying himself to the police. *

Stafford Stafford () is a market town and the county town of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It lies about north of Wolverhampton, south of Stoke-on-Trent and northwest of Birmingham. The town had a population of 70,145 in t ...

: A rally was held in the parking lot of the Stafford Marketplace on May 31. Stafford School Board member Emily Young addressed the crowd. * Sterling: On June 6, thousands of protesters gathered at

Algonkian Regional Park Algonkian Regional Park is located on the Potomac River in Sterling, Virginia at Cascades, Virginia. The 838-acre park is owned and operated by the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (NOVA Parks) and contains open fields, picnic shelters, ren ...

. *

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

: On June 3, hundreds of protestors gathered on Chain Bridge Road in Vienna for two separate protests, one designated for people at-risk or who had concerns about coronavirus, and a second protest later in the day for those who were less concerned, but they were also encouraged to wear face masks and take proper precautions for the virus. The protests remained peaceful and the Vienna Chief of Police attended both rallies. * Warrenton: Peaceful protests were carried out in Warrenton on May 30 and 31.

Eastern Shore

* Accomac: On June 6, hundreds of protesters gathered in front of the courthouse and marched to the library. * Chincoteague: On June 3, protesters gathered in Donald J. Leonard Park. *

Exmore Exmore is the largest town in Northampton County on the Eastern Shore of the U.S. state of Virginia. The population was 1,460 at the 2010 census. A popular story is that Exmore received its name because it is the tenth railroad station south of ...

: On June 6, approximately 150 protesters gathered in a local park.

Tidewater Region

Chesapeake Chesapeake often refers to: *Chesapeake people, a Native American tribe also known as the Chesepian * The Chesapeake, a.k.a. Chesapeake Bay *Delmarva Peninsula, also known as the Chesapeake Peninsula Chesapeake may also refer to: Populated plac ...

: On June 5, hundreds of protesters marched around City Park, where a moment of silence was held for eight minutes and forty-six seconds, and along Greenbrier Parkway to support Black Lives Matter. *

Hampton Hampton may refer to: Places Australia *Hampton bioregion, an IBRA biogeographic region in Western Australia *Hampton, New South Wales *Hampton, Queensland, a town in the Toowoomba Region *Hampton, Victoria Canada *Hampton, New Brunswick *Hamp ...

: On May 29, a standoff between police and protesters on West Mercury Boulevard ended with four arrests. Hundreds of protesters took over major roads and bridges in the area on May 31 for the third day of protests. *

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

: On June 2, more than 100 protesters marched from

Granby Street U.S. Route 460 (US 460) in Virginia runs west-east through the southern part of the Commonwealth. The road has two separate pieces in Virginia, joined by a relatively short section in West Virginia. Most of US 460 is a four-lane divided high ...

to the Confederate monument on Main Street. *

Petersburg Petersburg, or Petersburgh, may refer to: Places Australia *Petersburg, former name of Peterborough, South Australia Canada * Petersburg, Ontario Russia *Saint Petersburg, sometimes referred to as Petersburg United States *Peterborg, U.S. Virg ...

: On May 30, approximately 30 protesters gathered near East Bank Street and Second Street. *

Poquoson Poquoson (), informally known as Bull Island, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,460. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Poquoson with surrounding York County ...

: On June 5, protesters gathered in front of the Poquoson Police Department. *

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

: On June 1, more than 140 protesters gathered at a north Suffolk shopping center. *

Virginia Beach Virginia Beach is an independent city located on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 459,470 at the 2020 census. Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous city ...

: On May 31, a protest in Virginia Beach started out peacefully, but ended in violence and vandalism as protesters smashed windows and looted shops on the

Virginia Beach Oceanfront Virginia Beach Oceanfront refers to the three mile (4.8 km) long (27 feet wide) boardwalk area in South East Virginia Beach on the Atlantic Coast. It is located North of the Rudee Inlet Bridge and includes the boardwalk itself, Atlantic Avenu ...

. At least 48 businesses sustained around $300,000 worth of damage. Police sprayed tear gas on protesters and made 19 arrests. On June 1, a protest in Town Center was peaceful, with no injuries or property damage being reported, although 26 more arrests were made by police. On June 2, a rally and prayer vigil organized by Virginia Beach Interdenominational Ministers Conference was held at Mount Trashmore Park. On June 5, 75 protesters marched north on

, stopping all traffic. Protesters resisted orders from police in the Express Lanes to move out of traffic due to being an unlawful assembly, but dispersed once officers started making arrests. *

Williamsburg Williamsburg may refer to: Places *Colonial Williamsburg, a living-history museum and private foundation in Virginia *Williamsburg, Brooklyn, neighborhood in New York City *Williamsburg, former name of Kernville (former town), California *Williams ...

: On May 31, hundreds of protesters gathered at the Williamsburg-James City County courthouse.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Floyd, George 2020 in Virginia African-American history of Virginia African-American-related controversies Arson in the 2020s Arson in the United States Attacks on buildings and structures in 2020 Attacks on buildings and structures in the United States

June 2020 crimes in the United States Law enforcement controversies in the United States May 2020 crimes in the United States Post–civil rights era in African-American history Protests in Virginia Race-related controversies in the United States Riots and civil disorder in Virginia