RICHMOND, Va. -- Richmond Police want pro-Palestine protesters to stop having so many rallies. But an organizer for the group holding the near-weekly protest marches and rallies in Richmond is accusing police of trying to suppress their First Amendment rights. The Richmond Times Dispatch first reported the interaction between police and protesters.
Zaid Mahdawi showed CBS 6 a text message that revealed a Richmond Police Officer asked him to give officers a “break” from the rallies that have been happening weekly in Monroe Park.
As the reason behind the request, the officer said only six Richmond Police Officers were able to respond to a recent weekend shooting involving teens because "everyone was at the rally.”
The officer suggested that in exchange for limiting protests, police could quote “work something out” and talk to the Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney about Mahdawi’s recent arrest.
Mahdawi is facing criminal charges for allegedly protesting in the roadway, according to police.
But Mahdawi said he would not agree to the Richmond Police request.
He called the officer’s message “coercion” and accused police of misusing resources by monitoring their protests.
“We don't need y'all to watch us. We don't need y'all to dedicate personnel and or anyone to us. Because, at the end of the day, we are not putting anyone at danger," he told CBS 6.
He also said that police should not be correlating recent gun violence and their protests and that offering to talk to prosecutors about his charges was a form of "corruption."
"A whole police department should not have in any way shape or form influence on the Commonwealth Attorney. Yet, they explicitly said that [they] will try to influence the Commonwealth Attorney if you do something for our favor," Mahdawi said.
In a statement, a Richmond Police spokesperson said Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards hoped to be able to reassign officers who typically monitor these rallies to other public safety issues in the city.
In a statement reacting to the Richmond Times Dispatch article, Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney Colette McEachin said her office does not engage in quid pro quo deals with anyone, including police.
This is a developing story.
Statement from Richmond Police:
While at the scene of the quadruple shooting on Jennie Scher Road on April 14, which involved the death of a 16-year-old and the injury of a 17-year-old, Chief Rick Edwards asked a supervisor to reach out to Officer Hameed to contact the organizer of the recent protests.
As Officer Hameed knows the organizer, Chief hoped that Officer Hameed could ask the group to decrease the frequency of their events or request an accommodation that the group not march during their events for a period. Chief Edwards hoped this would then allow the officers that would have been designated to assist with the public safety surrounding these events to instead help address the recent violent crimes which had taken the lives of nine people in Richmond since March 31, including four juveniles.
The department has a long history of balancing the rights of free expression with the needs of public safety. When groups march along city streets the RPD must assign officers to the area. Earlier this month, officers found it necessary to declare unlawful assembly on this group when they blocked all eastbound lanes of West Broad Street. As this major artery is a connection to a hospital just blocks away, this was a threat to public safety that had to be addressed. Following the fourth announcement of the unlawful assembly, the organizer was arrested, the group dispersed, and the road was opened.
As is common, the department can make recommendations on defendants, but the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney is not bound by that recommendation and ultimately makes the decision on how much weight they will give that recommendation.
The group has been active since October. On most Sundays, the department has found it necessary to assign officers to assist with ensuring public safety surrounding these events.
Statement from Richmond Commonwealth's Attorney Colette McEachin:
Today's edition of the Richmond Times Dispatch newspaper contains an article entitled "RPD asks protesters to scale back marches."
The article details communications between RPD Officer Hameed and protest organizer Zaid Mahdawi, who is currently charged with misdemeanor unlawful protest.
The article states that the officer requested that Mahdawi and the protesters "decrease the frequency of their demonstrations" for public safety reasons. The article also states that Officer Hameed said that "in exchange for Mahdawi's cooperation" with the RPD request, the police could 'speak to the commonwealth's attorney about options' and that "we could work something out in a way.' RPD Chief Edwards is quoted as saying, "The commonwealth's attorney could take...his (Mahdawi's) cooperation into account as far as any deal they may offer to him."
Had I been contacted and given the opportunity to comment, I would have made the following statement:
I want to make it clear to the public that the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office does not engage in quid pro quo deals offered by any external person or agency, including the Richmond Police Department. While we are open to receiving helpful information from any number of sources, especially those victims and witnesses of criminal behavior, my Office will make its own independent and legally informed assessment of the merits of each case that we prosecute and resolve in fair and just manner.
