A handful of activists protested at Chattanooga City Council Chairman Chip Henderson’s home Wednesday night as tensions continued to rise around the police budget and the cutoff of public comments at a council meeting.
Local activists for weeks have been protesting police brutality and seeking broad reinvestment of funds from the police department to community programs and priorities. They are joining the worldwide response to the May 25 death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis.
Many activists were upset when the council voted 8-1 Tuesday night to give initial approval to the city budget, with little movement in the direction of defunding police. They were also upset when Henderson limited public comments at the council meeting.
On Wednesday morning, City Hall was vandalized with bright red paint on the steps.
(READ MORE: Inaction is Murder’: Chattanooga City Hall vandalized)