CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Charleston Police Chief Brent Webster says Sunday night’s Black Lives Matter Rally at the state Capitol was “peaceful.”
“No arrests, no property damage,” Webster told Mayor Danny Jones Monday on his talk show “580 Live” heard on 580-WCHS.
There were about 400 people on hand, calling for racial equality in West Virginia. The event was organized by the Call to Action for Racial Equality.
At the same time, on the other side of the Capitol, a separate demonstration took place near the Stonewall Jackson statue. People were there oppose the idea of removing monuments of Confederate figures following the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia last week.
Webster said police officers are there to protect the public, but demonstrators should also be aware of their surroundings.
“We’ll continue to do our part, but we just can’t guarantee personal safety, so we try to stress to everyone you’ve got to take some personal accountability if you’re going to come down to these events where they can get very emotional,” he said.
During Sunday’s rally, Charleston police worked closely with Capitol police. Webster said his officers patroled the inside and outside of the Capitol grounds.
“We worry about the city as a whole,” he said. “The state Capitol has their own rules on the premises about weapons, clothing, face masks and those kind of things. That made our jobs easier.”
Webster said the police department values free speech and will continue to monitor similar events in the future.