According to CNN, a 3,000-person block party was broken up over the weekend by Florida deputies. The event that started on Saturday afternoon and went into the early-morning hours on Sunday led to at least seven arrests, and claims from partygoers that law enforcement was acting with racial bias. Volusia County officials have denied the claims.
Attendees who spoke to local news outlets say law enforcement’s presence at the event thrown in honor of a man who was murdered in 2008 is an example of overpolicing in Black communities. But the local sheriff’s office says the participants of the block party that was advertised on social media were in violation of the governor’s large crowd ban and did not retain a permit to host the event. Though they allowed activities to go on as scheduled during the day, police say the event started to lose control by Saturday night.
At a press conference, Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood alleged that pedestrians were blocking roads, people were inciting a riot and bottles and chairs were being thrown at law enforcement. Another officer added that a deputy had a rifle pointed at him, which led to them breaking up the block party. Two men were arrested for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of ammunition by a convicted felon, tampering with evidence, inciting a riot and resisting arrest without violence.
Partygoers saw the events leading up to the dismissal of the block party differently, telling the West Volusia Beacon that there wasn’t trouble until officers attempted to break up the gathering. “Can we enjoy ourselves? No,” one woman told the Beacon, adding, “We are human too—Black lives matter. Every life matters.”
In a statement shared with NBC News, Chitwood said, “Because the majority of those in the crowd were Black and the deputies and police were White, we are now having…hard conversations about race, racism and inequality.” He added, “I don’t accept the accusations that our deputies and police are racists or that their actions Saturday were racially motivated. It’s not true, and it’s not a fair conclusion from the video.”
