When Peaceful Vigil Ended, So Did The Peace

May 31, 2020 at 09:19 pm by bryan


A peaceful vigil on the downtown Murfreesboro square...



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...leads to scattered unrest afterward. Not unlike similar scenes across the country, the city wasn't spared from unlawful activities by some.

Murfreesboro Mayor Shane McFarland issued a local state of emergency, which included a curfew from 6:30pm Sunday until 5am Monday. Governor Lee supported the move, saying both the Tennessee Highway Patrol and the National Guard were providing support on the ground in restoring order.

Around 7:00 o'clock Sunday night, Murfreesboro Police report a crowd of protesters was blocking the intersection of East Main and Middle Tennessee Boulevard. That group was almost hit by traffic and tear gas had to be used to disperse the crowd.

MPD also reports one of the armored police vehicles had a window broken, and a side window was broken at Whiskey Dix at the intersection of West Main and North Walnut.

Around 8:15pm, we captured sound of Murfreesboro Police, through a cruiser's loud speaker, asking protestors downtown to leave the area as the unrest continued past curfew:

Murfreesboro Police' Public Information Officer Larry Flowers reports, "Two people arrested for violating the Governor's Emergency Curfew Order. One person overcome by tear gas, treated on scene, but refused transport. And during the peacful vigil, a woman received medical treatment after a fainting episode on Square. There have been no injuries to police."

The Murfreesboro vigil - like others across the country - was planned to honor George Floyd:



Floyd died this week in Minneapolis while being arrested after an officer put his knee on the man's neck during an apparent traffic stop.

A local man on Twitter captured, on video, protesters sitting in the street at the intersection.

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