My daughter lives in a small city in Southern Virginia - not some big metropolis or anything. She lives in a downtown apartment in a multifamily house. I've been staying at her place during the COVID lockdowns. I'm not going to be more specific on location, and if you guess, please don't put your guesses in the comments on the website. I won't confirm or deny any guesses, either. This is for my daughter's privacy.

The first day of protests here were extremely peaceful - that was Friday. They ended before dark, and there were no issues.

The second day, things began to get more intense. A family march took place downtown and ended in rubber bullets and mace. There's no media coverage of this but local pages were full of outrage. This was a completely peaceful event that ended up with kids as young as seven getting a face full of mace while holding their parents' hands. I wasn't there but the story from people who were is pretty consistent.

Obviously, this kicked things up a notch. Leaving wasn't really an option as some roads out were blocked by protesters. On Saturday night, protests became a lot more vocal. There was still no destruction but the anger was ratcheted up. I was listening to police chatter on a scanner and doing a quick walk of the property every 30 minutes. We're close enough to downtown that we could hear the chanting from the porch but not close enough we could make out the words. Still, pretty darned close, however.

At 1 AM, the scanner went to static. That made me feel like things were definitely cranking up a few notches. I spent some time outside in the back so I could listen without being seen. Things were definitely louder but still far enough away.

Then I heard an alarming sound - and I could tell if it was fireworks or gunfire. I decided it was time to get the plywood in place because if people are shooting things have just crossed the Rubicon. I didn't feel like leaving was a viable option because the last thing you want is to be caught in your vehicle during times like this. The scanner was still nothing but static.

It turned out to be fireworks, thankfully, but what a dumb move to throw fireworks at cops in a tense situation. I was up until 4 am keeping watch. It's the first time I've ever personally stood watch before. It looks like it won't be the last. Last night there were protests but they ended earlier so I got more sleep.

Virginia has called up the National Guard and many cities have "closed" for the day. My daughter's workplace finally closed, thank goodness, because it's in an area that is likely to face looting should things exacerbate to that level here.

WIth business closures occurring, I strongly suggest you get some cash from ATMs just in case. If there's a run on banks it could become difficult in the days ahead.

This is not something only happening in major cities. Protests are breaking out even in small towns, and sometimes things are escalating.

I hope you're all staying safe wherever you are. I'll keep you posted on our situation.

Daisy