A crowd of demonstrators gathered in the Fort Sanders neighborhood of Knoxville near the University of Tennessee campus Saturday afternoon, rallying to show support and opposition to a monument honoring Confederate soldiers.
Approximately 2,800 people gathered near the monument for a few hours Saturday afternoon, officials said. The majority of the people demonstrated against the Fort Sanders Confederate monument, while a smaller group rallied in support of the monument.
Knoxville Police towed dozens of vehicles Saturday morning ahead of the planned protests. 17th Street was closed from Cumberland Avenue to Highland Avenue, and side streets connecting in that stretch of 17th were also blocked.
Police presence along Fort Sanders monument pic.twitter.com/pB4rJm5ODW
— Stephanie Haines (@StephanieWBIR) August 26, 2017
KPD, and the Knox County Sheriff's Office were joined by several other law enforcement agencies from across East Tennessee to line the streets during the rally. Police set up barriers along a designated rally area on 17th Street, and operated security checkpoints on each end.
Weapons of any kind were banned from the rally area, and police did not allow anyone to bring food, water or coolers into the demonstration area. Police did hand out water provided by TEMA to people within the demonstration area.
@Knoxville_PD, @knoxsheriff & @KnoxvilleFire are making sure demonstrators are hydrated by supplying free water. pic.twitter.com/P3oAIEIPQw
— Knoxville Police TN (@Knoxville_PD) August 26, 2017
READ MORE: Protests planned near Fort Sanders monument on Saturday
Police made one arrest at the rally. Knoxville Police Chief David Rausch said 28-year-old Kaylie Beckett was arrested for disorderly conduct, and tried to enter the rally area with a prohibited item.
Signs could be seen from the crowd with messages like "resist" and there were chants of "not in Knoxville." A woman standing near the monument held a Confederate flag and a sign that said "defend our monument."
A few pictures from the demonstrations in Knoxville regarding a Confederate Monument. Peaceful for the most part. pic.twitter.com/VQpRbNv4Rk
— Brandon Bates (@BBATESWBIR) August 26, 2017
The monument has been vandalized three times in the past two weeks. It was erected on the corner of 17th Street and Laurel Avenue in 1914 by the Daughters of the Confederacy to commemorate the Confederate soldiers who died in the Battle of Fort Sanders on Nov. 29, 1863.
Two petitions have been created recently - one to take the monument down, and the other to leave it alone.
Following the rally, Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero and Rausch commended the police agencies and the crowd for keeping the rally peaceful.
"We're excited that Knoxville did it right, in terms of coming out peacefully protesting on both sides, you know, without any issues," Rausch said.
"My compliments to all who all who participated in this. It was the best outcome we could have hoped for," Rogero said.
Another group held a kindness rally in Krutch Park near downtown Saturday afternoon, with several hundred people filling the park.
The kindness rally went on for about an hour, with the crowd starting to disperse a little after 2 p.m.
Panorama of the kindness rally. There's been no chanting - just speaking, listening, music and applause. @wbir pic.twitter.com/WNE2GPXitw
— Grant Ford Robinson (@Grant_Robinson_) August 26, 2017