Lang
8/29/20
A video has surfaced of a vehicle appearing to intentionally back into Black Lives Matter protestors in downtown Iowa City Friday night, including a passenger yelling white nationalist rhetoric.
The video, posted to the Facebook group Independent Media Project, shows protestors arguing with a man and a woman in a stopped hatchback at the corner of Gilbert and College Streets. The woman can be seen and heard yelling “WHITE POWER”, escalating the situation. The two sides exchange obscenities before the woman throws a plastic bottle at one of the protestors. The driver swipes at a protestor before starting to drive away, leading to a protestor striking the vehicle with a forearm covered in hard plastic. The driver then backs the vehicle up quickly, causing one protestor to jump back with his hands on the rear of the car to protect himself. The vehicle then drives off eastbound on College Street as protestors yell and hit it.
The video, posted at 8:12 Friday night, clearly captures the vehicle’s license plate:
Iowa City Police say anyone who was struck by this vehicle, or witnessed the incident in-person, is urged to contact Iowa City Police Investigator Mike Smithey at 319-356-5452 to provide information that will assist with the investigation.
The Iowa Freedom Riders have received criticism on social media for going back on a pledge not to spray paint property during future protests. The Daily Iowan reports Friday night members created human shields and used umbrellas to block spray painters from public view during a march through downtown and other nearby areas. Graffiti targets included the Johnson County Jail, downtown businesses and the streets themselves before the marchers returned to the Pentacrest, where the protest and march began. That’s where protestors began spray-painting the Old Capitol before police could arrive.
The group had spray-painted the Old Capitol during earlier protests in June. The estimated cost to the University of Iowa for cleanup was over $1 million.
Iowa City Police warned residents Friday afternoon that the Iowa Freedom Riders had planned downtown protests each night this weekend through Monday. Saturday night marchers moved from the Pentacrest to the corner of Highway 1 and Highway 6 to the Johnson County Jail, spray-painting the streets along the way.