Thousands In Dallas Protested Peacefully Against Confederate Monuments

Inspired by the events in Charlottesville, VA last week, an estimated 2,500 people took to the streets of Dallas near City Hall on Saturday night for a rally against white supremacy. Their primary cry was for the city to take down its Confederate War Memorial and other monuments to the Confederacy. Like the larger demonstration of 40,000 that took place in Boston on Saturday, the event remained mostly peaceful.

"The time is always right to do what's right, and now is the time to do what is right in the city of Dallas. Now is the time to bring these monuments down," Rev. Michael Waters, a senior pastor of Joy Tabernacle AME Church, told the crowd, according to the Dallas Morning News.

Demonstrators chanted "Take them down!" throughout the evening. Their signs denounced white supremacy and violence.

A smaller group of counter-protesters were there as well. A group that called themselves the "Texas Elite 3 Percent" claimed they were there to keep the peace, though they were dressed in military fatigues and some were armed.

Police in riot gear kept the counter-protesters in a separate area from the main rally, the Dallas News said. They also kept the disputed Confederate monuments heavily guarded by mounted police. Members of the press on the scene tweeted out videos of tense confrontations between groups that managed to remain verbal.

The local CBS affiliate reported that there was some shoving and shouting toward the end of the event, and the Dallas News reported that some anti-police protesters had been threatened with arrest when they failed to disperse. The Dallas Police Department said in a tweet that five individuals were detained and released without charge.

Earlier in the week, Mayor Mike Rawlings said he would call for a task force to study the issue of removing the monuments. It is one of many cities moving to take down their statues throughout the country this week.