Asheville protesters march on Interstate 240; police shut down roads downtown - Citizen Times

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Joel Burgess Asheville Citizen Times

Published 11:43 PM EDT Jul 30, 2020

Following a contentious July 30 Asheville City Council vote on the police budget, protesters calling for immediate police defunding marched through downtown and eventually onto Interstate 240, shutting down major sections of the interstate and nearby roads.  

Protesters marched, with some riding bicycles, behind a banner of "Fund communities, not cops." They made their way onto I-240, then went east through “the cut” and exited onto Tunnel Road shortly after 9 p.m.

There appeared to be more than 200 demonstrators at one point, but Asheville Police Department spokeswoman Christina Hallingse estimated the group at 100.

"APD officers have been with the group ensuring they safely navigate through traffic," Hallingse said.

Multiple police vehicles, officers on bicycles and officers on foot were seen moving to get ahead of the marchers though not engaging with them. They blocked and redirected traffic.

Demonstrators carried signs saying "Defund the police" and "Divest, invest." They chanted "What do we want? Justice," and, "If we don't get it? Shut it down."

Shortly before 10 p.m. the group walked back through the tunnel and stopped on College Street in front of the Buncombe County Justice Center then back to Pack Square where they had started and listened hours earlier to the council vote 5-2 to limit the police budget and other funding for city services to three months. Council members said they support "divesting and investing" and "reimagining" public safety but that they need time to get community ideas and make plans for covering some of the services now provided by police.

Several protesters declined to talk to media and asked that pictures not be taken and tried to block cameras.

"You're not here to help," one protester said in declining to talk about the march. 

Most were white, though a core group leading and speaking on the stage at Pack Square were Black. One on the stage who identified herself as Penelope said it might be alright if the city took some time to develop a plan, but she didn't trust officials to use a fair process.

"They could talk to people in the community who are already doing these things, who have been feeding people since the start of COVID," she said.

She said she wanted more of a commitment from city leaders to defunding, which many activists have said should be an immediate 50% police budget cut. Part of that commitment could be officials coming out to the protest, she said.

"Where is the mayor? I would love to see her out here."

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