Second person cited in scuffle at Whatcom County Black Lives Matter rally
A Bellingham man is the second person cited in connection with an incident during a July 31 rally for Black Lives Matter in Ferndale.
Rob Turner, 63, was issued a criminal citation Tuesday, Aug. 11, for fourth-degree assault after he pushed a participant in the rally, said Riley Sweeney, spokesman for the city of Ferndale.
Chad A. Schmitt, 48, of Ferndale, was issued a criminal citation Thursday, Aug. 6, for third-degree malicious mischief after he damaged property that belonged to a participant in the rally, Sweeney said.
“While much of the event was peaceful, at one point a person on the counter-protest side crossed the street and pushed a female, then pushed a second female,” Sweeney told The Bellingham Herald in an email Tuesday. “This interaction was captured on video and Ferndale officers quickly de-escalated the situation and separated those involved. The second female who was pushed contacted the Ferndale Police Department and advised that she wished to pursue charges against the male who pushed her.”
Turner was among a small group of counter-protesters at the July 31 rally in downtown Ferndale where about 200 people were rallying in support of a youth-led March for Black Lives in the park along the Nooksack River in downtown Ferndale.
Video of the event shared on social media shows several men crossing Main Street toward the rally and physically shoving at least one protester.
Fourth-degree assault is a gross misdemeanor under Washington state law, except in domestic violence cases where it is a felony.
Gross misdemeanors may result in up to 364 days in jail and/or $5,000 fine, according to the Revised Code of Washington.
Whatcom County Jail records show that he wasn’t booked into the facility.
Turner’s case will be handled in Ferndale Municipal Court, Sweeney said.
This story was originally published August 12, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
