Driver cited for menacing after Fourth of July protesters say he pointed gun at them
A Fourth of July protest in downtown Lexington on Saturday was marked by an incident in which a driver allegedly pointed a firearm at a protester.
Police say the man was cited for menacing, but not arrested, for brandishing the weapon. The man’s name was not released.
Protester Garland Watkins said he was standing in a line with other protesters, blocking cars from continuing straight along West Main Street at the intersection with South Mill Street, when a car tried to get through the crowd.
Watkins said he was one of several people asking the blue Dodge Durango’s driver to turn right to stop him from hitting the protesters, when the driver, a white male, said, “Well, I’ve got a right to protest, too.”
Then, the driver picked up a gun from his side console and pointed it at Watkins, he said.
Watkins waved down police on Upper Street. The police stopped the driver and took the firearm.
“It doesn’t make any sense,” Watkins said. “That’s just another Black life threatened by a white man.”
The March for Justice was organized by Bryce Oquaye to protest the Fourth of July holiday.
“The concepts that the Fourth of July represents and the things that people celebrate on the Fourth of July, the building blocks of this country, don’t necessarily apply to Black people,” Oquaye said. “We haven’t been able to exercise all the rights we are supposed to be provided in this country. “
Oquaye said that he won’t be celebrating the Fourth of July since it is not a day of freedom, independence and liberty for Black people in America.
“We were slaves for hundreds of years before, and almost 100 years after,” he said.
About 50 protesters began the march at the Fayette County Courthouse at 3 p.m., walked down West Main Street towards Triangle Park, stopped at Cheapside and eventually looped back around to the courthouse.
On the way, they stopped and blocked cars from driving down West Main Street, chanting, “Whose streets? Our streets!” and “The whole damn system is guilty as hell!”
Several drivers grew frustrated, giving protesters the finger and yelling at them to move, while others raised their fists and honked in support. It was then that Watkins said he was threatened by the driver with the gun.
Protesters continued blocking the street while Watkins talked to police.
One protester, Willie Perkins, said he participated in the march to continue to fight for justice for Black victims of police brutality, specifically Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. He said he hopes those watching the marchers get the real meaning of the protest, to love and support each other in order to get justice served.
Another protester, Ebony Harrington-McLeod, said she doesn’t celebrate the Fourth of July because while America was free from the British, Black people were not free in 1775, and still aren’t completely free today.
“It’s not for me to celebrate this holiday,” she said.
Harrington-McLeod added that she hopes events like this continue.
“It’s my hope that . . . we see Lexington grow and become truly diverse in the sense of wanting to understand and acknowledge the richness of all history, and that black people are just as important in establishing everything that is here,” she said.
Event organizer Oquaye said that he doesn’t want to take anything from people with this protest against the Fourth of July, but to add to their understanding of the historical context of the holiday.
“If you are celebrating the holiday, please know that the holiday itself isn’t necessarily celebrating freedom and independence for all of us,” he said. “Moving forward, hopefully with a little more understanding of these things, it will be easier to have these conversations. The spirit of what we are doing is in peace.”
This story was originally published July 4, 2020 at 8:28 PM.