“Town Crier” newsletter – Briefs from the Region (2) – 6/15/20
On Sunday, June 14, hundreds of protestors gathered outside the Montana Capitol building in Helena to speak out against the May 25 killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police and to support the Black Lives Matter movement. Chants of “No Justice, No Peace” and “Black Lives Matter” rung out across the grounds, and while mostly peaceful, the Helena Independent Record reports it got heated at certain points throughout the three-hour demonstration. “Near the end of the event, a man was escorted away and arrested for impersonating an officer after yelling at protesters for lying down on Montana Avenue,” according to the Independent Record, which added that a small group of people waving Donald Trump and American flags surrounded and drove around the area and police in riot gear stood in the street between protestors and counter protestors as they lobbed chants back and forth. “In another area, a fight broke out after a woman began yelling at protesters. [Helena Police Chief Steve] Hagen restrained the woman but said no charges have been filed in connection with that incident. Hagen is looking for any video footage of the incident, which remains under investigation as multiple people have provided stories that do not match.” Protest organizer Teddy Jumpp, self-described as half Jamaican and half white, began organizing the protest about two weeks ago and said he did receive online threats prior to the event, though most feedback was positive.
