Hoover PD Addresses Protest Arrests, Asks For Cooperation

HOOVER, AL — Protests surrounding the death of George Floyd in June, addressing police brutality and the Black Lives Matter movement have been prominent in Hoover over the last month, and the Hoover Police Department issued a statement this week outlining where the department stands on the protests.

The report from Hoover police said Since May 31, 15 protest events have been held in the city of Hoover, resulting in a total of 168 arrests made — the majority of which for disorderly conduct where the protester blocked traffic. Police said two separate protesters have been arrested seven times each.

"There were some protest events where traffic was not blocked and therefore no arrests were made," the statement from Hoover police said. "During the early stages of unrest that is occurring throughout the nation, some of our officers had full bottles of water thrown at them, in addition to bottles of urine. One of our officers was assaulted and sustained a broken nose. Those individuals who could be identified as committing these acts were also taken into custody."

The statement from the Hoover PD said they respect every citizen's right to peacefully protest, but when those protests affect the safety of others, arrests will be made.

"Our department respects everyone’s right to peacefully protest, but blocking lanes of traffic and throwing objects is not safe for protesters, police officers, bystanders or motorists," police said. "Going forward, officers will continue to arrest those individuals who endanger lives by engaging in these type behaviors."

Hoover police posted a video of a recent protest to social media Wednesday:

"Starting today, we will begin a series of posts that depict protest events and actual arrests being made," Hoover PD said. "Some of these videos will be somewhat lengthy but in an effort to show accuracy and transparency, we will attempt to show the event from beginning to end. The videos below were recorded on June 26th near the grassy area in front of Hoover City Hall. During an otherwise peaceful event, multiple protesters stepped into the lanes of traffic on U.S. Highway 31. Traffic was blocked on three separate occasions on this date and a total of 29 arrests were made."