A peaceful anti-ICE march turned ugly when the Tennessee Highway Patrol drove into the crowd, hitting at least three people

A peaceful march protesting the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in American cities turned violent Sunday when Tennessee Highway Patrol officers drove several vehicles into the back of the crowd, hitting at least three people. The troopers also arrested one of several protesters who attempted to prevent them from driving further into the gathered pedestrians.

The march began with hundreds walking west on Summer Avenue in Memphis from the Autozone on Waring Road until they reached Grahamwood Elementary School. Immediately before the school, the Memphis Police Department set up a barricade to allow the crowd to safely cross North Graham Street.

The group included families with small children, a handful of people with dogs and signs proclaiming “I prefer my vodka neat – no ICE,” “immigrants make America GREAT” and “Dictators fall when people rise.” 

The march had already turned around at Grahamwood and passed back through the roadblock when more than 20 THP vehicles drove rapidly behind and alongside the crowd, which was walking on the sidewalk and about half of the roadway. 

“We were trying to create awareness and show the city that we’re tired, not only of what was happening in other parts of the country, but what’s been going on here in Memphis,” said Jose Salazar, an organizer with Indivisible Memphis and Free the 901. “I was not expecting the Highway Patrol to act the way they did. They came in speeding. They were acting really aggressive. We never got a warning to get out of the street.”

Volunteer safety marshals and protesters, including Rebecca Leathers, 55, stood in front of the vehicles, seeking to block them from driving further into the crowd. Others at the march said they simply didn’t have time to move to the sidewalk. 

As a cruiser drove past Leathers, she slapped the side of the vehicle with her open hand.

The trooper driving the vehicle exited and dragged Leathers by her cardigan as she leaned over as if to pick something up, then pushed her against the vehicle. She was soon placed in the backseat of a cruiser. 

Members of the crowd turned toward the troopers, chanting “Let her go” and “What did she do?” 

“Holy shit, that was scary,” one protester said from the sidewalk.

“They were acting like they were gonna run us over,” another said. 

“They did. They hit two people,” the first protester replied. 

Video taken of the scene from different angles shows at least three people, two wearing safety marshal vests, were hit by cruisers. All three appeared able to walk away afterward. At least one went to urgent care, according to posts on social media. 

THP released 21 seconds of dash camera footage of one of the incidents, posting on Facebook that it shows “the individual holding onto the front of the trooper’s vehicle, lying down, then standing right back up afterwards.”

The video shows white lines in the road disappearing under the car, indicating it is moving, up until it hits the safety marshal, who grabs at the front of the vehicle as he falls backward, legs under the vehicle. When he stands back up, the marshal wags a finger at the trooper before walking away. 

“Our priority is always public safety … for motorists, protesters and certainly our troopers,” the THP posted on Facebook. “When someone enters the roadway, it creates a serious and immediate risk, and troopers are trained to respond to prevent injuries or worse outcomes.”

One protester, David Rahaim, was at the tail end of the march when he heard the THP sirens, then turned to see them driving “aggressively” toward the crowd. They slowed when they got “very close,” but continued to push into the march, Rahaim said. Rahaim saw the one safety marshal get bumped by a vehicle and confirmed that the cruiser was moving when it hit the man. 

“When you’re on foot, a car might be going five miles or 10 miles an hour, but when you’re on foot, and this is a big old SUV, it doesn’t matter,” Rahaim said. “It’s gonna do damage if it barrels into people.”  

Marchers questioned why the THP drove up on the crowd as the march was concluding and after MPD had blocked traffic to allow the marchers to cross Graham safely. 

Another video shows a cruiser driving into two people at the same time. Salazar confirmed that he witnessed that incident and was “standing right beside” the people hit. 

The Tennessee Highway Patrol did not respond to multiple questions from MLK50: Justice Through Journalism about its actions on Sunday. On Facebook, they did not explain why they drove up rapidly on the protesters. 

The affidavit of complaint against Leathers, filled out by Trooper Brandon Andrews, said troopers had been radioed that “protesters were engaging in a physical altercation with federal law enforcement on Summer Ave and Graham” and that he and other troopers arrived at the scene of the altercation “but were unable to proceed forward because protesters were blocking traffic.”

The crowd had moved a block away from the Graham intersection when the cruisers arrived. MLK50 did not witness any physical altercations at the march apart from when troopers arrested Leathers. Other people at the march said they did not see any altercations between protesters and federal law enforcement.

“The protesters then completely surrounded Trooper Andrews’ vehicle,” the affidavit states. “Trooper Andrews and other THP units attempted to slowly maneuver through the crowd to assist federal agents in the altercation.”

Video shows that the vehicle drove into the back of the crowd. It does not show protesters completely surrounding the vehicle. 

Jessica Miller, an organizer with Indivisible Memphis, said the organizations had made safety plans, including that they would disperse if given the order to do so. They were not given any orders before the troopers drove into the crowd. 

As the crowd turned to yell at the troopers about Leathers’ arrest, more troopers arrived, some taking their Tasers out of their holsters. The troopers and a man without any law enforcement identification wearing a “Nirvana” T-shirt repeatedly directed the crowd to get out of the road as activists continued to chant, “Let her go.” 

“You work for us,” protesters shouted. “Shame on you.” 

After about five tense minutes, two Memphis Police Department officers walked up to the troopers. One spoke to the troopers, then walked away on his phone, while the other continued watching. Shortly after, the troopers returned to their vehicles and allowed the march to continue down the road and sidewalk. Troopers continued to drive past the marchers on the other side of the street. 

The Memphis Police Department also did not respond to a request for comment.

“While there is mistrust of MPD, they at least did the bare minimum of their job on Sunday,” Rahaim said. “They handled themselves well, they stayed out of the way, and they were focused on safety. The troopers obviously were not focused on safety. They were focused on intimidation.” 

Leathers was charged with assault on a law enforcement officer, obstruction of a highway or passageway, disorderly conduct, resisting official detention, indecent exposure, vandalism worth $1,000 or less and misdemeanor assault. Assault on a law enforcement officer is a felony. Several of the charges stem from things officers said Leathers did while in custody, including exposing herself and kicking an officer.

Andrews wrote in the affidavit that he saw Leathers “banging on the front windshield and the front passenger side window with the bottom of her fist multiple times,” describing it as an “attack on the patrol vehicle.” The affidavit also says someone tried to open the passenger-side door of the vehicle, which video from the scene does not show. 

The affidavit alleges that Leathers appeared drunk and was “extremely aggressive,” refusing to place her right arm behind her back when ordered. She was not charged with public intoxication and was released on a $500 bond. 

Her attorney, Seth Segraves, is a public defender but said he volunteered to handle her case pro bono. Leathers had scabs on her wrists and dark bruises on her upper arms during her brief court appearance on Tuesday. She said the injuries had come from law enforcement and the handcuffs.

Miller told MLK50 that she’s seen a lot of social media comments “debating the legality of protests and what you can do and what you can’t do.” 

“It just really confuses me, because I missed in history class where the patriots asked permission or for a permit to throw tea in the Boston Harbor,” she said. “I missed all the years of the Vietnam War, where people requested permission to make their voice heard. And you know, I think that that’s an extreme infringement on the First Amendment, if you start limiting where and when people can react to breaking news or heartbreaking news that comes across.”

Most of the march was calm, with frequent honks of support from cars driving by as protesters walked. When the group passed a car maintenance store, workers paused — one popping out of the grease pit under a raised car — to shout, “ICE out” along with the crowd. 

A news release from Indivisible Memphis and Free the 901 pointed out that video footage contradicted assertions made in the affidavit. 

“The footage instead shows patrol vehicles driving into a peaceful march, followed by troopers exiting their vehicles and moving aggressively toward demonstrators. No video shows protesters surrounding or threatening a patrol vehicle.”

The release also noted that the majority of Leathers’ charges occurred after she was taken into custody, “claims (that) have not been corroborated by any publicly released body-camera footage, booking-area video, or independent witnesses.”

The organizations are calling for an independent investigation into the Highway Patrol’s conduct, for the immediate release of all video evidence, the dismissal of all charges against Leathers, public condemnation by elected officials of the THP’s actions and the removal of THP from Memphis. 

On Monday, State Rep. Justin Pearson, whose brother KeShaun Pearson was present at the march, called for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to open an investigation into THP’s actions at the march. 

KeShaun Pearson, who leads Memphis Community Against Pollution, said he watched as the marshal who appeared in THP’s dash camera footage was hit by the vehicle. 

It stood out to him that the troopers drove up on the back of the march, Pearson said, where elderly protesters and those using mobility aids such as canes walked. 

“They got out of their cars and pulled out their Tasers,” Pearson said. “That was the first act after exiting the vehicle with the protesters who had canes to walk in the march. That was the first act. And that only endangers people. That doesn’t make anyone safer. It also speaks to the intent. Their intent was not to diffuse the situation. Their intent was not to protect anyone. Their intent was to immediately intimidate, immediately harm. … I was fearful for my life.” 

Katherine Burgess is the government accountability reporter for MLK50: Justice Through Journalism. Contact her at katherine.burgess@mlk50.com

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