Fed up and Tired: The Reality of Protests
- Iesha
- Jun 10, 2020
- 5 min read
PC: @SteveDollas (Instagram and Twitter)
Across the country, across the continent, across THE WORLD, there have been protests that have been sparked by the murder of George Floyd. People chanting “Black Lives Matter!“, but as the protests go on, people are seeing that this is more than just George Floyd. These protests are for the Black lives that we lose every year to not only police brutality, but also to racism such as Ahmaud Arbery, who was murdered by two white men while jogging. This is for the Black lives that are often quickly forgotten and must be fought to keep alive, such as Breonna Taylor who was murdered in her sleep by Louisville officers. This is for the Black lives that you do not hear about simply because of who they are, such as Tony McDade who was a Black trans man killed by a white Tallahassee officer. Protests do not continue for more than a week for just one problem. There are years of murder, pain, and anger that just keep adding up even as these protests go on. The fact that Floyd’s murderer has been sentenced, as well as the other three who allowed it to happen, does not mean this will end. Black lives matter, ALL Black lives matter, and we have been constantly shown that it is the opposite time and time again! People are angry, people are fed up, and people are tired.
I attended a protest today (June 4th) , organized by Warriors in the Garden, right after George Floyd's memorial in Camden Plaza. We marched across the Brooklyn Bridge, gathering at Foley Square and ending our march at Washington Square Park. Peaceful. That is what this protest was, as many other protests across the nation and across the world. Peaceful. We were all marching during a pandemic to protest another pandemic that has plagued this country for centuries and yet is still ignored: racism. We were shouting for change and justice, we were demanding change and justice while standing together and keeping an eye out for one another. At the end of the bridge were allies handing out pizza, I saw people sharing and giving out food and water to those who needed it, people giving out masks, gloves, and hand sanitizers ... in this moment, in this MOVEMENT, we were all united and displayed nothing but peace.
There was a moment where we all kneeled and people started chanting “NYPD! TAKE A KNEE!”. Not surprisingly, they did not. Instead some just stared us down, as if they were trying to find a reason to take action. Others talked to their co-workers, and completely ignored the chants. This small moment made me think. If the police force were truly for us, why not stand, or better yet, kneel with us? Because they are not for us. The origin of the police is racist, the policies of the police are racist, and the police only assist in upholding white supremacy and systemic racism. So, of course, they did not take a knee.
However that is not what’s important about these protests. I can care less whether they decided to stand for justice or not. We know who’s side they are on. What is important is that we peacefully marched from Brooklyn into Lower Manhattan, sharing the same pain. No criminals. No vandals. No looters. That’s not us. Just watch the video from NowThis below.
I could go on and on about these protests. How the media is twisting this around and trying to make the (Black) protesters look like criminals. How the protests are actually VERY peaceful until the cops get involved. How united these protests are. But it would not be enough if it came out my mouth.
For these past week, I have been gathering photos and words from those who are on the front lines protesting for the racial injustice to stop and experiencing it as well. Below you will be able to read the stories and quotes of these people as well as look at their photos. Take it in.
"I do not trust the police. None of them took a stand for humanity. I’m ashamed and disappointed." - Rian Michael
BLM protest in Grand Rapids, Michigan on May 30th
“I feel as if the media portrays these protests as mindless individuals blindly breaking the law to fit their narrative. If they took ONE second to research or go to ANY of these protests for more than 30 minutes then maybe they'll have an idea of how peaceful we are. ACAB.” - Anon
BLM protest in Manhattan last Tuesday, June 2nd
"The NYPD and MTA [were] blocking anybody with a sign from going into Grand Central, even after we told them we were not protesting just trying to get on trains home—they set up metal barricades and when we asked why we couldn’t bring our signs in they just told us to keep away.” - Julia Moss
"We stood in the street (only taking up one lane out of two) and only white male truck drivers were trying to hit us. Police watched them drive on. Police watched the aggression and did nothing ... ACAB." - @clumsy_valkyrie
“The beauty was the UNITY, marching and protesting as One. People gathered around me as I started the chants, protected each other, took over the streets for a great cause. We will not be SILENCED. We‘re fed up and this isn’t the generation you wanna mess with ... FEARLESSLY walking with snipers on the roof, cops barricading the side blocks to keep us from moving, 2 helicopters following us and so on...” - @titanforeverxclusive
Denver, Colorado
*In regards to what the police are doing*
"A few nights ago, my family and me were at a barbecue [...] and we were walking to the car with containers of food and a cop stopped us. He asked my mama what was in the containers and we said food. I don’t know what crawled up his ass but he got very aggressive and said he had to search our car because we looked suspicious. I was scared but I spoke up and said 'Excuse me sir.. you don’t have a warrant.. good night.. and we’ll have one too.' I was fucking scared and he walked past me and stared at me in the eyes dude. And he 'accidentally' knocked over my container of food out of my hands and it went everywhere. I was pissed but I’m glad my mama and youngsters were safe. And a few nights ago, the police came banging in our door at our section 8 apartments at 1 in the morning and was ready to knock down the door. My mama answered it calmly and they almost pushed her over until they saw us. They then walked out without any explanation. I don’t know if that matters but ... I know for certain... I’m so so tired of this bs." - Yahaira Luna
I want to say that the BLM protest that was organized by Nupol Kiazolu, the President of BLM Greater NY, was completely peaceful. There was no looting nor violence. It is just one of the many steps that must be taken in order to provide my future children with a better world. - Philippe-Nicholas Constant
We will continue to protest until systemic and systematic racism is recognized as a true disease that has affected us for centuries. It does not just stop at George Floyd.
Black lives matter. There is no "but" after that statement.
BLACK. LIVES. MATTER.
For those who contributed to this article, I would like to thank you guys once again for sharing with me your photos and quotes and allowing me to share it with others. I truly appreciate it. ✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿
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