May 2020 Tear Gas Attacks

The year of 2020 was a year of structural change. The world saw a stream of events that not only challenged the norm, but strained our society in ways that we haven’t experienced in decades. America faced a once-in-a-century pandemic that challenged our way life, saw a meteoric insurgency against police brutality that was reminiscent of the 1960s, all while one of the most vital elections in U.S. history was on the horizon.

When video footage of George Floyd’s murder was spread to the public, it spurred one of the largest movements against police brutality in American history and the world. People from all walks of life came together demanding systemic change from those in power. Protests were held everywhere from the largest metropolitans to the smallest towns, including Nashville and its surrounding towns of Murfreesboro, Gallatin, and Franklin.

On May 30, the people of Nashville held a peaceful gathering to honor those lost to police brutality, followed by a march around the downtown area and ending at the city courthouse. Here, an outside agitator, Wesley Somers, set the building on fire, leading to the deployment of the National Guard and the tear gassing of other protesters in the area with the intention of dispersal.

The next day, another peaceful gathering was held in Murfreesboro’s city square with organizers calling for unity, peace, and an end to unjust policing. After the events in Nashville, local businesses boarded up their storefront windows. The rally was heavy with the presence of local police, Tennessee Highway Patrol, and officers on horseback. After the peaceful rally in the square, a group of the peaceful demonstrators broke off to march to MTSU’s Forrest Hall, a symbol of the university’s long grapple with racism and the Confederacy. They never made it.

After sitting at the intersection of E. Main St. and Middle Tennessee Blvd., police in armored vehicles arrived, declared the peaceful gathering unlawful and riotous, and deployed smoke bombs and tear gas at protesters (including university students), some who were as young as 12 years old. At approximately 6:45pm, an email was sent to local news outlets issuing a curfew for 6:30pm. The Murfreesboro police department later cited a broken restaurant window and vandalized police vehicle, despite no evidence being presented supporting this claim.

Since this tumultuous encounter, Mayor Shane McFarland upheld the actions of the police, calling the tear gas necessary. As of the creation of this historical marker, April 23, 2021 (327 days since the attacks), the university administration has not made a statement on the matter, despite demands to do so by students. One of the deployed tear gas canisters has been recovered and is now housed in the Albert Gore Research Center in their archival collections.

https://www.dnj.com/story/news/2020/05/31/murfreesboro-george-floyd-vigil-peaceful-protest/5299427002/

https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/peaceful-rally-for-george-floyd-held-in-murfreesboro/

https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/murfreesboro-mayor-defends-use-of-tear-gas/

https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/possible-tear-gas-deployed-in-downtown-murfreesboro-near-mtsu/

https://twitter.com/joe_spears7/status/1267245828667854853

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/blog/nationwide-protests-over-george-floyd-s-death-live-updates-n1220126/ncrd1220661#blogHeader

https://twitter.com/JoshBreslowWKRN/status/1267243368020615171?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1267243368020615171%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wkrn.com%2Fnews%2Flocal-news%2Fpossible-tear-gas-deployed-in-downtown-murfreesboro-near-mtsu%2F