Richland Police Chief responds to concerns from residents, protesters
RICHLAND, Wash.-- More than 200 supporters of Black Lives Matter lined George Washington Way in Richland on July 4th, protesting police brutality in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis.
During the demonstration, participants moved into the street, blocking traffic, and Richland Police Officers tried to divert vehicles away from the protest. However, one person reportedly had their foot run over by a vehicle, leading to calls for police to press charges against the person behind the wheel of the vehicle.
"Part of the issue is that the person who allegedly had their foot run over has not contacted the police department," Chief John Bruce told Newsradio 610 KONA. "We'd be happy to investigate this offense, and if charges are warranted, we will file those charges."
Bruce said they did receive an information report from a third party, but have had no contact with the victim directly.
Even so, the demonstrators were breaking the law by moving their protest into the street.
"As we approach any of these incidents, as we learn about a protest going on, we try to do our homework and research it a little bit-- try to reach out and make contact with the protesters to let them know what's allowed, what's not allowed. In this case, they didn't want to have those conversations with us," Bruce said. "It's always been our intent to maintain peace and practice tolerance while placing safety as a main priority. So when they spilled out in the street, so far it was still peaceful. There were cars trapped in the middle and we tried to get most of those turned around and giving them alternative routes to get away. As they proceeded to move south on George Washington Way, we continued to barricade and block off traffic and try to keep the bulk of the traffic out of there."
Bruce said there were people in support of the protest driving through the area, along with counter-protesters.
"In this case, early on in the protest on July 4th, we had a conflict between the two sides, and we were able to intervene and peacefully get people to cooperate with us," Bruce said. "Both parties were informed that they both had a right to be there and have their messages heard."
The police agency is still reviewing the incident, and Chief Bruce says charges will be filed if necessary. However, the department is also reviewing its response to the protest to determine if there are ways that they can improve, with the goal of keeping the peace while still allowing residents to exercise their right to free speech.
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