Black Lives Matter Get Jail Time

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Source: Michael B. Thomas / Stringer / Getty

All 13 demonstrators pleaded guilty Monday afternoon in Richmond General District Court as part of a plea agreement in which they’ll serve five days in jail for impeding the flow of traffic. As part of the agreement, charges of being pedestrians on a highway were at least temporarily dropped.

Protesters had started a demonstration shortly before 6 p.m. on July 18, and about 30 protesters made their way to the southbound lanes of Interstate 95 near Belvidere Street. During rush hour, some protesters stood in the roadway and blocked vehicles, causing a major backup on the interstate.

Protesters chanted, “black lives matter” and “no justice, no peace, no racist police,” while holding signs.

By 6:20 p.m., Richmond police were on the scene, and after two warnings to move from the road to the grass, several protesters were handcuffed, according to police.

Those who refused to exit the interstate on that July 18 evening were charged with being pedestrians on a highway, and impeding the flow of traffic.

Virginia State Police were among the arresting law enforcement, and three uniformed troopers were in the courtroom on Monday but did not need to testify because all the defendants pleaded guilty.

The 13 defendants, all represented by the same attorney, went before a judge one-by-one.

They pleaded guilty to impeding the flow of traffic and were sentenced to five days in jail for that conviction, but as part of the agreement, the charges of being pedestrians on a highway were nolle prossed. Charges that are nolle prossed are set aside at least temporarily, and while the charges can technically be re-introduced by prosecutors in the future, to re-introduce such charges would be rare, especially in cases of plea agreements.

Some of the activists who were found guilty on Monday were allowed to report to jail at a later date in December.

At least one of the defendants had asked to report to jail later because she has college exams in the coming weeks. Several others were immediately taken away by deputies to begin serving their five-day jail sentences.

For those allowed to serve their time later, the judge warned that if they’re even one minute late reporting to jail on the agreed-upon dates, they could face additional criminal charges, which could result in more jail time.

Only one of the protesters convicted Monday is from Richmond. Five are from Charlottesville. Others are from western Virginia, California, New Jersey, New York and Georgia.

Those convicted and sentenced to five days in jail are:

Anthony D. Beck, 24, of Weed, Calif.;

Nina B. Cohen, 49, of State College, Pa.;

Donna L. Gasapo, 42, of Charlottesville;

Angelica S. Demarco Jaffe, 23, of Brooklyn, N.Y.;

Julia Griffin, 21, of Sparks Glencoe, Md.;

Katherine M. Martin, 30, of Alpharetta, Ga.;

Sapphyre K. Miria, 37, of the town of Buchanan;

Luis A. Oyola, 26, of Charlottesville;

Frances Richards, 61, of Charlottesville;

Brandon J. Taylor, 21, of Hampton, N.J.;

Evan S. Viglietta, 39, of Charlottesville;