Small Turnout, No Problems at Paulding Black Lives Matter Rally

Dallas, GA — Only a handful of protesters turned up for a "Black Lives Matter" rally in Paulding County on Tuesday evening.

Authorities say the gathering, which had prompted fears of traffic shutdowns and the like, went smoothly.

"We saw a few Black Lives Matter protesters and we saw some people protesting the protesters," said Paulding County Sheriff's Office spokesman Sgt. Ashley Henson. "Overall, there were no blockages of traffic, no confrontations between the two groups, no violence, and no incidents to speak of."

As late as Tuesday afternoon, Paulding County authorities had called the gathering "an unsubstantiated rumor."

The sheriff's office reported seeing news on social media of a possible rally and march from Hiram to Dallas. But there were no official announcements of a gathering, and no one applied for a march or rally permit, authorities said.

On Tuesday, Paulding County Sheriff Gary Gulledge met with black community leaders about the rally, urging them to encourage a protest that did not block traffic along the busy U.S. 278 corridor.

Despite the uncertainty, law enforcement in Paulding County were prepared for a larger rally had one developed, Henson said.

"The Sheriff’s Office and all of our other public safety partners — Dallas Police Department, Hiram Police Department, Paulding County Fire Department, Paulding County E-911, Georgia State Patrol, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and Georgia Felony Probation — all came together and were prepared in the event there were any problems," she said.