Mobile City Council has praised the uplifting protests over the weekend but also asked that people stay home instead of contributing to “disturbances” around the city.
“Our hearts are all heavy following the tragic death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the pain it has evoked for so many within our own community,” said the statement from the seven-person council. “While we may not feel this pain equally, it impacts us all. The widespread attendance and support at this weekend’s peaceful protests was truly uplifting.”
The arrests came days after peaceful and violent protest were staged in Mobile and across the state. Earlier on Sunday thousands marched through the downtown area of Mobile in protest at the death of George Floyd, resulting in a brief clash with police at the entrance to Interstate 10 where officers used gas to deter the group from trying to access the road. Not long after, a smaller group of protesters staged a vigil in Cathedral Square that was entirely peaceful.
Addressing that specific unrest around Mobile, the council added in its statement that it would prefer residents remain home.
“It is important that unity is not overshadowed by a few outsiders trying to use this situation to cause disturbances that will only hurt our citizens and city,” noted the statement. The statement did not identify any “outsiders.”
“We urge our citizens to stay home and stay safe and not fall prey to these efforts to cloud an important conversation," the statement said. "Let us instead focus on solutions to the issues this tragedy brought to light.”
Following the larger of the two events, a small group of around 100 people made its way to the old Babies R Us store on Airport Boulevard. Several arrests were made at the scene and officers were forced to shoot pepper balls from a high-velocity air gun.
Mobile Police Department said in a report released later Monday afternoon that a further 26 charges were made against the 13 individuals, including disorderly conduct, burglary, criminal mischief, and arson.
Early Tuesday morning, the Raphael Semmes statue in downtown Mobile was vandalized. By 10 a.m. it had been cleaned and partially restored by city workers. This was in direct contrast to Birmingham where its vandalized statue, covered by black boards for more than three years, was removed.