Memphis spent $152K policing neo-Confederate rally

Memphis spent $151,666 in January to close down two parks and police a "riding rally" protesting the removal of Confederate monuments, the city announced Wednesday.

Protestors in a caravan of about 50 vehicles, many with out-of-area license plates and streaming Confederate battle flags, circled the city on the interstate system on Jan. 6 before ending the rally peacefully in a Southaven, Mississippi, restaurant's parking lot.

In response, the city closed Health Sciences Park, former home to a removed statue of Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, and Fourth Bluff Park, former home to statues of Confederate President Jefferson Davis and Capt. J. Harvey Mathes.

Although shared by the Memphis Police Department, Fire Department and Public Works, the rally will not require a budget amendment. The city already budgets for unanticipated overtime pay to cover protests and other events that could arise.

Read more: https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/government/city/2018/02/07/memphis-spent-152-k-policing-neo-confederate-rally/317702002/