HAMPTON ROADS, Va. (WAVY) — It’s been a week and a half since George Floyd died while in custody of Minneapolis Police. Protests — many peaceful, some violent — continue across the country in the wake of his death.
In Hampton Roads, demonstrations have continued this week. Most of them were peaceful, save for a protest that turned into looting and property damage at Peninsula Town Center on Tuesday night.
Here’s the latest information on protests, and other relevant issues from Thursday:
7 p.m. — The NAACP of Portsmouth is renewing its call to relocate the Confederate War Memorial.
A group of at least 35 people gathered around the monument Thursday around 7 p.m., chanting “remove the stain.”
The monument has been vandalized several times following the death of George Floyd.
It’s unclear who owns the monument. In 2018, a judge said the city can’t claim it because no one else is claiming it. The city continues to pay for the upkeep.
6:30 p.m. — Virginia Beach dispatchers said there were reports of a peaceful march in the Kempsville area of the city.
WAVY News crews arrived and found the group had disbursed, but one person said they had been involved and the group marched around the Virginia Beach Police 4th Precinct.
5 p.m. — Norfolk Police released their use of force policy Thursday.
The document is already publicly available, but sent it in a news release Thursday in response to the death of George Floyd.
“I want the citizens of Norfolk to know the standard we hold our officers to,” said Chief Boone. It is the commitment of the Department and our officers to hold the highest regard for the sanctity of human life while providing police services. “In no way, shape, or form will any of these officers use the type of force, a knee on the neck, that killed George Floyd.”
Boone said the department does not teach any “knee on neck” techniques.
Click here for more information on Norfolk Police’s use of force policy.
4 p.m. — The City of Virginia Beach has confirmed that as of Thursday afternoon, there are no plans to extend the curfew as the nation continues into its second week of protests after the death of George Floyd.
3 p.m. — The Portsmouth NAACP is planning to gather at the Portsmouth Confederate monument around 7 p.m.
WAVY News 10 Reporter Brett Hall will be there with the story.
2:30 p.m. — Portsmouth Police Chief Angela Greene joined protesters on Hampton Boulevard Thursday after the organizers invited her to join.
Watch the video below for more:
2 p.m. — The Virginia Senate GOP released a statement about removing a Confederate monument in Richmond. In that statement, the GOP made a comment on the death of George Floyd.
“Like all Virginians, we were outraged and deeply saddened by the murder of George Floyd. His brutal and senseless death has shocked the entire nation. We renew our commitment to ensuring our criminal justice … system is fair to all, providing protections to everyone from the unnecessary use of fore with ended Mr. Floyd’s life.”
The GOP also criticized state Sen. Amanda Chase in its statement.
Chase called Northam’s decision to remove the Robert E. Lee monument “an overt effort here to erase all white history.”
The Senate GOP called her comments “idiotic, inappropriate and inflammatory.”
Click here to read the Senate GOP’s full statement.
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