As protests are taking place in cities around the nation, rumors across social media have circulated of protesting that would also take place in the community of Texarkana.
The rumors of these protests have reached citizens of Texarkana as well as law enforcement, who say they are remaining vigilant to ensure the safety of the community.
“We continue to monitor and listen to what’s going on in the community but as of right now we don’t have any information that would lead us to believe that these protests will actually be happening,” explained Texarkana, Texas, police spokesman Shawn M. Vaughn.
Vaughn explained that law enforcement in no way will stop peaceful protesters from exercising their right but will do everything to make sure everyone involved is safe, including people on the roads and in the community.
“If someone wants to protest, that is within their right to do so, and we aren’t going to stop them but we do want to make sure everyone is safe and that people on the road can get to where they need to go safely,” said Officer Vaughn.
The right to protest or peaceful congregation is an American right included in the First Amendment of the constitution, though due to the events that took place in Dallas, Texas that threatened the safety of officers as well as civilians leads Texarkana law enforcement to remain observant to ensure the safety of officers, protestors, and the entire community.
“We want people to feel free to exercise their right. We just want to be cautious. I don’t want people of the community to be afraid of going somewhere,” added Officer Vaughn.
According to Officer Vaughn, there has been no request for a permit for a social gathering of any sort. Law enforcement believes rumors of the protest are false at this time, though they will remain vigilant.
