Gainesville protesters arrested for blocking traffic while marching against Confederate statue

GAINESVILLE, Texas - Arrests by a North Texas police department sparked a protest Thursday morning.

Gainesville police charged protesters who marched Sunday against the Confederate statue in the city.

Protesters thought they were being escorted by officers, but police said the group was blocking traffic.

Three organizers for the group PRO Gainesville spoke out just hours after bonding out of jail.

The charges against stem from a Confederate statue protest held four days ago.

“On the way back, they said we blocked the streets and interfered with traffic. However, GPD was blocking the streets for us and it made it seem like an escort,” one of the protesters, Justin Thompson, said.

Thompson, 25, Torrey Henderson, 27, and Amara Ridge, 23, face charges of obstruction of a state highway or roadway.

They all turned themselves in Thursday morning for the Class B misdemeanors and immediately posted $2,500 bond.

“The officer in the street told them they need to move back on the sidewalk, and they refused to do so,” Gainesville Police Chief Kevin Phillips said.

Phillips acknowledges the demonstration was peaceful, but said, logistically, it violated the law. 

“They remained out in the street, walking in the westbound lane, completely rendering the westbound lane impassable,” Phillips explained.

But it begs the question: Why weren’t the arrests made on the spot?

“Because of the way it occurred, and they were several blocks away from our main group of law enforcement when it started, we didn’t affect any arrest that night. We started investigating the case on Monday,” Phillips said.

The chief added that the group did not have a permit. The protesters said they stopped applying for permits for safety reasons, believing it prompted tip offs to counter protesters who intimidated them with guns.

“And whether the gun was loaded or not, I mean we’ll never know, but it’s just the fact that they came and their intentions were to intimidate us and nothing has been said to them, only us,” Ridge said.

“Their ability to stand on the courthouse lawn and express their opinion on the removal of the statues, there’s no issue with that. That’s perfectly fine. But when you move that into the street, where you enter fear with the constitutional rights of others, that’s where we draw the line,” Phillips said.

Gainesville police said they are still deciding whether to charge others who were part of the protests.