Fredericksburg To Discuss Protests Held Outside Leaders' Homes

FREDERICKSBURG, VA — The Fredericksburg City Council has scheduled a special session for Monday at 4 p.m. to discuss protests against racial injustice held this week outside the homes of City Manager Timothy Baroody and Mayor Mary Katherine Greenlaw.

A group of about 15 people calling for racial justice demonstrated outside the home of Baroody Wednesday evening, with a person using a bullhorn to lead chants, according to the city. Baroody and his children were not home at the time, but his wife was inside the house during the demonstration, the city said Friday in a news release.

Members of the Fredericksburg City Council "responded to the incident to try to calm the situation, but the protests continued," the city said. Fredericksburg police officers also arrived at Baroody's house to monitor the demonstration.

On Thursday afternoon, a group of demonstrators calling for racial justice gathered outside Greenlaw's home, with a person leading chants using a bullhorn. The mayor was at home and had been at home on two previous occasions when people protested outside her residence, the city said.

The police did not make any arrests at either protest. The city did not say whether any of the protesters trespassed on the property of the city manager or mayor.

On Tuesday, the Fredericksburg City Council voted Tuesday to hire a third-party consultant to conduct an independent review of the city's law enforcement practices and instances of use of force and arrests during demonstrations between May 31 and June 2. Protests have been occurring on a regular basis in Fredericksburg since the death of George Floyd at the knee of a Minneapolis police officer.

Prior to the rise of the current nationwide protest movement for racial justice and police accountability, demonstrations outside the homes of Fredericksburg city leaders were uncommon. In bigger cities and other parts of the country, activists occasionally hold demonstrations at the homes of political and corporate leaders. Over the past four decades, anti-abortion activists have demonstrated outside the homes of doctors who perform abortions.

In Kentucky, 87 protesters faced felony charges for demonstrating Tuesday on the front lawn of Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron. The protesters want the attorney general to bring charges against police officers involved in the shooting death of Breonna Taylor. On Friday, a local prosecutor dismissed the felony charges, but charges of trespassing and disorderly conduct against the protesters were not dropped.

In response to the protests outside Fredericksburg leaders' homes, the city emphasized that the City Council has adopted resolutions in support of calls for racial equality and a response plan that directs specific actions to be taken in support of the nationwide call to address racial inequality.

“While respecting everyone’s freedom of speech, we also will endeavor to preserve peace at the safe haven that we each call our home," Vice Mayor Charlie “Chuck” Frye Jr. said Friday in a statement.

A group called Black Lives Matter Fredericksburg was not involved with either incident this week, the city said.

"BLMFXBG supports the Mayor and City Council members of the City of Fredericksburg," the group said in a statement provided to the city. "We hold meaningful marches on the first Saturday of the month, so people can attend a peaceful protest and have their voices heard."

The Fredericksburg City Council has asked City Attorney Kathleen Dooley to offer advice on Monday on how best to respond to protests outside the homes of city leaders.