‘Should have filed a parade permit’ | Memphis mayor walks through what happened with No Kings incident
Paul Young said the city is still reviewing the events that led to the No Kings rally clash between protesters and Memphis police.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis Mayor Paul Young is walking through what happened with a No Kings rally that ended with a clash with police and protesters getting arrested.
The city’s third No Kings protest, hosted by Indivisible Memphis, began around 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 28, at Robert R. Church.
Memphis police officers involved in the No Kings protest clash on Saturday were placed on administrative leave.
During the protest, Memphis police came onto the scene and clashed with protesters, leading to multiple people being detained and three people getting charged.
Advocates and those charged are criticizing the city and police department, claiming officers needlessly escalated the situation.
In his Friday newsletter, Young emphasized that protest organizers filed for a public assembly permit, which allowed for a gathering at the park, but not a march.
“The rally in Church Park was peaceful and well attended,” the mayor said. “There were no issues between organizers, attendees, or law enforcement. At the end of the rally, some of the attendees began moving onto Beale Street. Although that action was not in accordance with the permit, Beale was closed to vehicular traffic at the time, so officers allowed it, as Beale Street, when closed, is a space where people can gather and move safely.”
However, when the protest reached 2nd Street, things changed because rally goers were headed to an active roadway, the mayor said.
“For nearly 40 minutes, the back-and-forth escalated, as the marchers refused to leave the street,” Young continued. “Ultimately, the situation ended in a confrontation that none of us wanted.”
He went on to state that the city government supports peaceful assembly rights, but the situation quickly changed when protesters moved into an open street.
“If this rally was intended to include a march, which now appears to be the case as they had outfitted parade marshals, the organizers should have filed a parade permit,” the mayor said. “If a protest is going to move into the street, we can plan for it. We can close roads. We can redirect traffic. We can put officers in the right places so people can both move safely and be heard.”
Young said the city is still reviewing what happened that Saturday.
You can read the mayor’s full statement on the No Kings march HERE.