A crowd that was too large to count — perhaps a thousand people — filled Nashville’s Public Square Friday night for a multi-purpose gathering in response to high profile killings by police this week.
The event was rarely solemn, but instead fiery and infused with social justice issues ranging from race relations to affordable housing to the current presidential contest.
A half dozen activists took turns talking through a small speaker system that could barely reach the edges of the crowd, which filled the lawn in front of city hall. But a fervent call and response system amplified the messages, line-by-line. The service included reciting names of people killed by police officers and familiar chants popularized by the Black Lives Matter movement.
They decried police brutality, racism and what they perceive to be a failure to prosecute in officer-involved shootings.
The
#Nashville
#BlackLivesMatter vigil is lighting candles and encircling Public Square.
pic.twitter.com/d41RKr7jyR— Tony Gonzalez (@TGonzalez)
July 9, 2016
After 90 minutes of speeches and chanting, hundreds of protesters moved from the public square, vowing to shut down Broadway.
Chant is: vigil over, time to “shut sh*t down.”
#Nashville
#BlackLivesMatter— Tony Gonzalez (@TGonzalez)
July 9, 2016
Hundreds are coming down 2nd toward Lower Broadway.
#Nashville
#BlackLivesMatter
pic.twitter.com/KQaZrqNuZs— Tony Gonzalez (@TGonzalez)
July 9, 2016
Demonstrators meet tourists on Lower Broadway.
#Nashville
#BlackLivesMatter
pic.twitter.com/dwfXGARCLm— Tony Gonzalez (@TGonzalez)
July 9, 2016
Broadway is shut down, both ways.
#Nashville
#BlackLivesMatter
pic.twitter.com/avXX7URMYC— Tony Gonzalez (@TGonzalez)
July 9, 2016
The march ended near the Metro jail and police headquarters with wet protesters still chanting and Metro Police continuing to protect their path.
Hundreds strong, “hands up don’t shoot” outside
@MNPDNashville HQ.
#Nashville
#BlackLivesMatter
pic.twitter.com/LrnNgVvAnL— Tony Gonzalez (@TGonzalez)
July 9, 2016
The vigil was organized by Black Lives Matter Nashville before a sniper targeted police in Dallas. The event was meant to honor the two black men killed by white police officers this week in Louisiana and Minnesota.
“Nashville is not immune to police militarization and racially biased practices,” the group said in its vigil announcement.
The group called special attention to a campaign known as Operation Safer Streets, which it says had led to 4,000 traffic stops and 803 arrests of “black and brown” drivers.
“So while Nashville may not have many cases of people of color being murdered by the police, MNPD is much more insidious by instead specifically targeting communities of color,” the group said.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE.
#AltonSterling
#PhilandoCastile
#Nashville
pic.twitter.com/qrmCt18ljI— BLM Nashville (@BLM_Nashville)
July 8, 2016
The group noted that it “does not endorse unprovoked violence,” and expected a “peaceful and powerful” demonstration.
Earlier Friday, Nashville Police Chief Steve Anderson said officers would be vigilant and visible during the event, but that it should remain open to anyone who wants to attend — with no security checkpoints, nor a special show of force.
The night before, Anderson decommissioned an officer who wrote a Facebook post about the killing of Philando Castile in Falcon Heights, Minn.
“It was a disservice to the city of Nashville. It was a disservice to this police department. It was disservice to every individual officer on the street. It’s something that can’t be tolerated,” Anderson said.
He was also joined at a noon prayer vigil by black ministers and city officials, who praised the work of Anderson as they stood with him outside police headquarters.
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