No immediate arrests were made Sunday night.
“We in Springfield thought that we had escaped what had happened in other communities. But last night we had on a much smaller scale some of the same interactions as what has happened in cities not only in Ohio but around the country,” said Springfield Mayor Warren Copeland on Monday.
“Our police department attempts to treat people without any of the interaction that has been so sadly displayed in other communities. Specifically we do not have police officers trained to do any of the things that happened to cause the death in Minneapolis,” he added.
PHOTOS: Protesters march in Springfield Sunday
Property damage that took place Sunday night happened to several businesses as well as to governmental property including 15 windows being broken at City Hall.
As a result, city officials have implemented a curfew for portions of the downtown area. They say it is to protect the community, those who wish to gather and local law enforcement. The curfew, which started Monday evening, will last from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. and will be in effect until Wednesday morning.
The area that will be under curfew contains several blocks with the north border being East North Street, the western border being Center Street, the eastern border being Spring Street and the southern border being West Jefferson Street.
Springfield Police Chief Lee Graf added that those who violate the curfew will face arrest if they chose not to leave the area after being warned by law enforcement.
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A peaceful event Sunday afternoon
Springfield Mayor Copeland joined local officials in praising efforts made by protesters who gathered Sunday afternoon at around 3 p.m. outside the Clark County Common Pleas Courthouse. The demonstration turned into a march that involved hundreds of people and went throughout the downtown area.
The Sunday afternoon protest in downtown Springfield was one of many that occurred over the weekend across the state and nation. It followed the death of George Floyd last week who was videotaped being held down by several police officers after being handcuffed. One officer was captured on video pressing his knee into Floyd’s neck for several minutes.
In Springfield, the driving force behind the protest were several young people who grew up in the city and wanted to highlight injustices faced by African American communities across the nation.
“We just want to do what we can to raise awareness. To show everybody that we are equal and in the same playing field as everyone else,” Dorian Hunter, who was one of the organizers, said Sunday afternoon.
It received the support of several community groups including the local unit of the NAACP. Its president Denise Williams, who attended that afternoon demonstration, said on Monday that she understands the anger and pain felt by some members of the community.
“But if you want your voices to be heard. March. Shout. But we must do it peacefully. What happened last night was unacceptable,” Williams said of the events that occurred after the demonstration.
“I have to tell you that after a huge successful event with our young people of the city of Springfield, we wake up to this,” she added.
That demonstration Sunday afternoon remained mostly peaceful and ended back at the courthouse around 5 p.m., with organizers and leaders as well as a large portion of the protesters leaving the area shortly after. Some lingered into the evening and were eventually confronted by law enforcement who attempted to disperse the crowd.
“That event went very well until it was suppose to be over and things then went offtrack. As a result of that our police at a certain point decided to break up the meeting,” Copeland said.
“The realities that have happened in other cities have come to Springfield and we are very sad about that. But we will do everything we can from here to deal with these issues with peace and understanding in our community,” he added.
Several city officials also showed their support in fighting racism and racial injustices and being part of community discussions around that topic. They also praised members of local law enforcement and the actions taken by them throughout Sunday.
“Racism is absolutely unacceptable period. Violence is absolutely unacceptable period. What was a moment when this community came together to call out an injustice has been tarnished by those who chose to demonstrate violence towards property, our police and others in this community. That does not move this community forward,” City Commissioner Dave Estrop said on Monday.
Hunter said that he and other organizers worked with city officials as well as the police chief to ensure the event was a success. During the a news conference on Monday, he highlighted the large community support for the event as well as those who distributed bottles of water to those in attendance.
Police Chief Graf said of Sunday afternoon’s event that “we were there to make this a success.”
As for what happened later that night, Graf said on Monday that “this is not a reflection upon the organizers and the vast majority of folks who showed up yesterday.”
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A deviation
Into Sunday evening and into the night rocks were thrown at buildings, including at city hall. It occurred after police dispersed a group of people who were still gathered near the Clark County Common Pleas Court.
The Clark County Sheriff’s Office as well as members of the Ohio State Highway Patrol were also present Sunday night.
Dozens of members of law enforcement were present all together, said Graf.
Some of the people who gathered near the courthouse later in the evening were beginning to block traffic and there were concerns that at some point there may be an car accident or potential that the situation would escalate.
At about 8, there were efforts to disperse the crowd and clear the street. Rocks were thrown at officers at that time and one received minor injuries. No other injuries were reported Sunday night.
Graf said that shortly after, people were allowed to stay near by as long as they didn’t block the street and did not engage in criminal activity.
However, there were also motorist acting reckless, with some being met by cheers from the crowd, and other reckless activity that could have put people in danger.
“At that point the safety of that crowd. I just could not stand there and watch a car slide into a group of individuals,” Graf said.
There were further action to disperse the crowd around 11 p.m. Officers were met by rocks and other options. Some tear gas canisters were launched.
Graf said that most of that crowd went home. But some stayed and property damage was committed after. It is unknown what the total costs of those damages are. City Manager Bryan Heck said they are continuing to access that as of Monday afternoon.
In addition to the damage done to city property, some area businesses had windows smashed. That included the main window for the Un Mundo Cafe, on South Fountain Avenue, which has been closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and is expected to reopen June 15.
Clark State Community College also reported damage to its Brinkman Educational Center and several peace officer training vehicles sustained damage.
“This is anecdotal because we are still gathering facts and this was a long night,” Graf said. “Quite frankly the majority of folks that were committing vandalism were young white males. I want to make that clear. Which is very typical of what we are have been seeing in other cities.”
These were folks that have come there. I don’t want to overly stereotype. Perhaps not as involved in the cause that we are all very emotional about and believe in. These were folks that were looking to break stuff and engage in violence.”
“There were a lot of people throwing rocks. But once that group broke up, that was the core group that we were chasing down the downtown area,” he added.
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Graf suspected some that committed vandalism had come with the intention to engage in those acts as some had baseball bats and other weapons.
Local law enforcement said they are looking at evidence and videos and will charge individuals involved in the vandalism if they are identified.
A Monday evening vigil that was to be held in remembrance of Floyd was canceled due to safety concerns. A spokesperson with the city said that it may be rescheduled and officials are looking into all possibilities.
Hunter said one option would be to see if it could be turned into a virtual vigil involving several speakers.
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