Activists suspend weekly anti-police protests in Vacaville
(Still frame via Twitter.com video)
The organizer of a weekly anti-police protest in Vacaville says the group’s demonstrations are on hiatus for now.
The news comes nearly one week after the group’s organizer, Dalauna Knox, was arrested following an impromptu protest near a police traffic stop at the end of a different event.
The group “Voices of VV” has held an anti-police rally at Andrews Park and the nearby municipal complex in Vacaville nearly every Sunday afternoon since last summer. Last week’s rally was canceled due to rain, with organizers shifting to a homeless outreach and park cleanup event.
Nearby, officers with the Vacaville Police Department were conducting a surveillance operation. When the event concluded, police pulled over several vehicles for minor traffic infringements.
One traffic stop drew a small crowd around it. A tactical police team quickly came to the scene, and dispersal orders were given to the group.
According to dispatches, the group was pushed down an alley and onto an adjacent street. After several minutes, some members of the original group returned to the scene of the traffic stop.
Four people, including Knox, were arrested and charged with a misdemeanor count of refusing to leave the scene of an unlawful assembly. It was not clear if prosecutors would ultimately pursue a case against Knox or the other individuals related to last Sunday’s incident. County prosecutors filed charges against Knox and another protester last December for a separate incident; those cases are still pending.
Sunday afternoon, a social media account used by Voices of VV said the group would stop holding its weekly protests “for now.” No reason was given for the decision to suspend the event.
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