Protesters shut down Overton Square intersection - Commercial Appeal

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Laura Testino Memphis Commercial Appeal

Published 12:00 AM EDT Jun 14, 2020

A protest in the Overton Square area of Midtown turned confrontational late Saturday as a vehicle appeared to strike protesters who had shut down the intersection of Madison and Cooper.

After several cars turned around and yielded to a group of protesters at the Midtown intersection, a man in a white truck continued to move forward into the group. 

A protester who was part of the group told The Commercial Appeal none of the protesters sustained significant injuries.

Chris Jordan said several cars turned around while the protesters took the intersection for roughly 20 minutes without incident. 

“What makes you any different?” he told The Commercial Appeal about the driver. 

“I was trying to hold the truck off...He didn’t want to stop,” Jordan said. 

Memphis Police Officers arrived at the protest less than 10 minutes before the incident occurred. 

An officer came to interview the driver and instructed him to back up, moving west on Madison Avenue, where another officer was stationed.

About 15 minutes after the incident the officer began to collect witness statements. He directed comments to the MPD’s public information officer, who did not immediately respond to an email. 

This is the second time in the past three weeks where a protest in Midtown had vehicles interact with protesters.  Two drivers have been arrested in the earlier incident. 

Protesters arrived in Midtown to protest outside Porch and Parlor, which, along with Flight, has been accused of racist and sexist actions toward customers and employees.

Management announced Friday it would launch an investigation.

Protesters were outside Downtown outside Flight earlier, but moved to Porch and Parlor because Flight was closed. About seven tables of customers were being served when the intersection was blocked and the truck drove toward protesters.

Memphis police released the following statement shortly before 11 p.m.

At approximately 9:30 p.m., officers responded to an incident at Madison and Cooper, where a large crowd had gathered in the roadway. The preliminary investigation revealed that while individuals were standing in the street, blocking the roadway, a male driving a pickup truck attempted to drive through the crowd. 

No injuries have been reported. The driver of the truck has been detained. Officers and investigators are speaking with witnesses and the driver to gather additional details. 

This investigation is ongoing. 

This story will be updated.

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