Protesters with Black Lives Matter signs and shirts shouted at diners who were seated on restaurant patios throughout Northwest Washington, DC, over the weekend as part of an “education” campaign.
With many Washington restaurants now featuring patio seating due to coronavirus restrictions, protesters have been increasingly targeting diners now accessible from the streets.
On Saturday, several pro-Black Lives Matter and other associated groups organized to protest throughout Northwest Washington, DC, which includes the affluent Georgetown and Dupont Circle neighborhoods.
As the sun started going down, the protesters first targeted diners at restaurants on P Street NW near Dupont Circle. Protesters shouted into megaphones and held signs that said, “Black Lives Matter,” according to tweets by Deadspin journalist Chuck Modiano.
Modiano, who apparently accompanied the protesters, tweeted: “#DCProtests confront white spaces and read facts on Black Lives murdered by police.”
#DCProtests confront white spaces and read facts on Black Lives murdered by police pic.twitter.com/Dm7rMZ2oTe
— ChuckModi (@ChuckModi1) August 23, 2020
Modiano also posted a video of an agitated restaurant staff member talking to the protesters.
“Restaurant staff member comes out to argue w/protesters but customer approves,” he tweeted.
“They need to know. Everybody needs to know”
Restaurant staff member comes out to argue w/protesters but customer approves .
In weeks covering #DCProtests, Black customers are supportive. Many white ppl too. So we must define “angry customer” as a distinctly white issue. pic.twitter.com/P6n16DP0x1
— ChuckModi (@ChuckModi1) August 23, 2020
Later, another group carrying a large banner that said, “Free the people, fight the power, f**k the police,” converged on Dupont Circle and stopped in front of a restaurant named The Admiral, according to a video posted by Modiano.
#DCProtests at DuPont Circle still going strong. One of three different protest actions tonite pic.twitter.com/xAAvf8WLv0
— ChuckModi (@ChuckModi1) August 23, 2020
At The Admiral, protesters yelled at diners seated on the patio. One diner confronted the protesters while another person tried to hold him back. The diner is heard yelling, “Get out of our neighborhood.” He was also seen spitting toward the protesters after things got heated.
Washington, DC #DCprotest #DCprotests #BlackLivesMatter #BlackLivesMatterDC https://t.co/XCv2YCuXi2
— Kate Cantrell (@KateCantrell) August 23, 2020
The woman the diner allegedly spit on claimed he “instigated” the confrontation by “yelling and pushing bushes at protesters” as they recited names of “[Black Indigenous People of Color] murdered by [the Metropolitan Police Department].”
I’m the black woman he FULLY SPIT ON during a pandemic after he instigated by yelling and pushing bushes at protestors reciting names of BIPOC murdered by MPD. The police did NOTHING except threaten protestors with mace & let the attacker get away. #dcprotests #WHODOYOUPROTECT https://t.co/38OwO6vEVM
— Josie (@josielisettem) August 23, 2020
Modiano and another journalist entered the restaurant patio area to keep filming the diner:
An angry white man got into my friend @ChuckModi1 face he tried to stop the recording and he was right at his face things are getting very intense right now he tried to snatch his phone out his hand #dcprotest #dcprotests #FTPmarch #Blacklivesmatter #blmprotest #acab pic.twitter.com/6kRxPgI7Rq
— RawsMedia™ (@rawsmedia) August 23, 2020
Protesters then moved east on P Street NW to the Logan Circle area, where they continued to harass diners.
Again, most people in restaurant clap for protesters after they are done reading facts. Always one or two really angry white ppl. #DCProtests pic.twitter.com/uR7DkpMyJk
— ChuckModi (@ChuckModi1) August 23, 2020
Some diners expressed their support for the protesters, including a woman who allegedly saw a police officer shake his head at the protesters. She demanded his “badge number.”
Washington, DC #DCprotest #DCprotests #BlackLivesMatter #BlackLivesMatterDC https://t.co/J8LwT2B51r
— Kate Cantrell (@KateCantrell) August 23, 2020
Modiano tweeted later, “Restaurant Education [F*** the Police] March continues.”
Washington, DC #DCprotest #DCprotests #BlackLivesMatter #BlackLivesMatterDC https://t.co/cAQI41AwIv
— Kate Cantrell (@KateCantrell) August 23, 2020
Later that night, protesters were seen in Georgetown, carrying the “free the people, fight the power, f**k the police” banner and chanting, “No justice, no peace! No racist police!” and “Cops and the Klan go hand in hand!”
#DCProtests #BLM Protests continue in the affluent neighborhood of Georgetown pic.twitter.com/c53F1GcXtr
— Mr. Fantastic aka Static Shock (@ltrain87x) August 23, 2020
He tweeted a video of protesters from last week yelling at diners about their “complacency.”
“Your complacency is the reason why we have to be out here. Your silence is participation”#DCProtests last Saturday. Another FTP March in DC tonite pic.twitter.com/QlYTvgrOaV
— ChuckModi (@ChuckModi1) August 22, 2020
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