BLACKSBURG, Va. – In light of this past weekend's violent rally in Charlottesville, the town of Blacksburg is discussing ordinance changes to keep residents safer.
Blacksburg Town Attorney Larry Spencer says he's looking at the possibility of altering the demonstration ordinance to stop demonstrators from carrying torches, sticks and shields similar to those used in Charlottesville.
Spencer says this could be a way to better protect citizens from violence and property from damage.
"We've had mostly peaceful protests in Blacksburg, even with a few controversial groups and we'd like to keep it that way. We'd like to avoid a situation like last weekend, maybe it's unavoidable, but we'd like to see what we can do," said Larry Spencer.
Spencer says right now, he is doing research to make sure an ordinance change would not hurt citizens' First Amendment right to free speech.
The Blacksburg Town Council would have to approve any changes to the demonstration policy.