Conway, Arkansas – Two groups participated in police protests outside of the Conway City Hall on Tuesday.
Organizers for Reinvest in Conway, a campaign working to divest funds from Conway police and reinvest that money into the community, hoped for the chance to speak during a city council meeting Tuesday night. But organizers said the group was denied and was not given a reason why, so they decided to protest.
“We have been trying to persuade the city council to host a public forum or town hall about police brutality, racism in this city,” said Stephanie Gray, co-founder of Reinvest in Conway.
At the same time, counter-protesters with a group called the Arkansas Patriots showed up to the scene to support the Conway Police Department.
“The Conway Police Department, we firmly believe in them,” said Scott Hunter. “We love our Conway Police Department and we are going to stand out here and stand up for what’s right.”
The Conway City Hall did not respond to protesters.