Friday, June 5, 2020

#BlackLivesMatter | Say His Name #GeorgeFloyd #JamesScurlock



I have been largely silent over the last week, but not for lack of anything to say. Blogging has felt so trivial and unimportant that despite a huge backlog of reviews I am trying to get done, I don't care right now.

One of my most recent posts referred to the horrific murder of George Floyd by a former Minneapolis police officer. That this happens at all is devastating and must end. That it happened in my home city, a place I love so much, made it that much worse because I can't be home right now to march and protest and demand justice for this man.

However, I could protest here in Omaha, and that is exactly what I did on Saturday night, May 30th. I had spent much of Friday the 29th after Eleanor went to bed watching livestreams of the protests, officers firing tear gas and rubber bullets at peaceful protesters, and not-so-peaceful protesters. I watched people commenting, asking why people couldn't be more peaceful, pretending they would acknowledge the pain and trauma, if only the protesters would be "nicer" (read: quieter). Well guess what? People have already tried to protest peacefully for YEARS and it wasn't the "right" (read: white) way, so everyone complained about that, too.

But Saturday night I decided I could not spend another night watching someone else's livestream.

I went down to the busiest intersection in the entire city of Omaha (which makes it the busiest intersection in the state) with my little sign and stood there for nearly three hours with fellow protesters. I listened to chants of "Say his name/George Floyd", over and over and over again.

"Hands up, don't shoot."

"No justice, no peace."

I watched a man venting his anger using only his words, furious over the injustices we were protesting, only to see one of the four officer from the parked car he was yelling at flip on the lights and get out. I watched three officers wrestle this man to the ground, slamming him to the pavement. I watched three additional officers pile on before the man was handcuffed and dragged to a waiting van.

That's when the water bottles came flying, not from the protesters lining the streets but a smaller group up the slope who had gathered in the Target parking lot behind them. I watched the protesters turn and scream at them over and over to stop throwing things at the city police and state troopers. Then came the flash bangs, tear gas, and rubber bullets.

I watched a line of officers eventually move at the crowd, pushing those same protesters into the smaller group of agitators - literally pushing them, some falling to the ground as they lost their balance. Still the officers pushed forward, mixing the groups together, continuing to fire tear gas.

A friend texted to ask if I was safe, saying that it was being reported that people were throwing rocks and bricks at the police. I was across the street in a smaller group of protesters, but with an ample view of the largest group, those who were suddenly being corralled into the lot. I saw no rocks or bricks thrown the entire time. Water bottles, yes, most flying without even their lids. Still, no rocks. No bricks.

Then on the opposite corner from that main body, we were pushed to the parking lot behind us from the sidewalks, a place we were legally allowed to stand.

More and more tear gas was fired. An officer fired off several rubber bullets within ten feet of me. I did not see what caused him to fire, but saw a young woman put into handcuffs, sobbing, taken away to another waiting van.

More tear gas. Officers across the street continued pushing the crowd in that Target parking lot back, pushing and pushing in a line until they had all moved out of sight down the slope on the other side. After that, all we could see to know anyone was there were the clouds of tear gas still rising.

Two blocks north of the intersection a crowd assembled who had escaped the tear gas, some protesters breaking off from the group I was in. More tear gas. So much tear gas, you could no longer see the Wal-Greens sign, nor the road in front of it. So much tear gas it looked like a heavy, dense fog. So many more rubber bullets fired.

Around 8:30 a patrol car began announcing that this protest was now considered an unlawful assembly and we needed to leave, or further action would be taken.

More tear gas. More rubber bullets.

The corner where the main body of protesters had been completely cleared once the officers had corralled them up beyond our line of sight. Many had run across the street and tried to re-assemble, but continued to be fired on. That second corner was then cleared of protesters.

As the big trucks came out, we were told that if we did not leave immediately we would be arrested. The officers had moved counter clockwise around the intersection to clear them. Mine would be last. I watched officers moved in a line toward the third corner, the announcement repeating over and over that we must leave, or we would be arrested. I watched this group of protesters holding their ground. Not throwing anything. Not even yelling or chanting anything. Standing there, as was their right. Holding their signs, exercising their right to protest the injustices that seem to have no end in sight. These protesters were then shot at with rubber bullets and tear-gassed just as all the others had been.

I finally had to leave as the announcement continued, as the clouds of tear gas began drifting over myself and those with me on the final corner of the intersection that had not yet been cleared.

I finally made it back to my car and headed home, wondering what the rest of the evening would bring. I heard rumors as I walked to my car that protesters were gathering downtown in the Old Market.

It was less than three hours after the police had broken up the protest at 72nd and Dodge, that a young Black man named James Scurlock was shot and killed in the Old Market by a white bar owner named Jake Gardner. There is security camera footage and cell phone video. There is footage of James Scurlock being shot, yet Gardner was never arrested and was released the next day. There are many things to know about Gardner, such as that he is an unfortunately well-connected scumbag who is racist, homophobic, and transphobic. The gun he carried and threatened the group with, his permit is expired. Business owners were explicitly told to NOT go to their businesses, or "defend" them. Gardner at one point fired two "warning shots" - this is illegal, point blank. Yet Gardner, a former Marine, posted on Facebook just a few hours earlier that he was going to be on a "military style firewatch" at his bar that night. There are some conflicting reports, reports of racial slurs being used against James Scurlock and those with him, reports of police refusing to take witness statements, all kinds of things going on.

County prosecutor Don Kleine (a friend of Gardner's) held a press conference on Monday afternoon at 1:30 to make a statement about the death of James Scurlock and status of Jake Gardner. It is interesting to note that I received an email from my property manager early in the day stating that all employees would be leaving at 1 PM to ensure their safety. Businesses all over the city were closing by 1. Our fave museum was evacuated at 12:30.

As you can probably guess, the press conferences was a load of bullshit - and doesn't that tell you that you've probably made a mistake, when you have to shut down an entire city because you know people will be in the streets, louder and angrier than ever before? As expected, only certain parts of videos from Saturday night were shown. The necessary audio was mysteriously not played to accompany the videos. Kleine himself gave a running commentary, which to me amounts to already tainting the potential jury pool. In so many words, he basically blamed James Scurlock for his own death. AND also could not even be bothered to remember the victim's name and kept referring to him as 'Spurlock', even AFTER being corrected.

So, where are we today?

As of this time, the three additional officers who did NOTHING to help George Floyd as he was murdered were arrested and charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder, and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. Ellison also upgraded the charge against Floyd's murderer from third-degree murder to second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

Protests have been going on here since last Friday the 29th. When it was announced there would be no charges filed against Gardner for the murder of James Scurlock, a 72 hour state of emergency was declared and an 8 PM curfew imposed. Once Kleine realized people were not going to accept his bullshit explanations, he finally agreed to put a special prosecutor in charge of the case and call a grand jury. How hard would it have been to have done that on Monday? Not hard at all.

A couple friends and I attended a smaller protest downtown this morning. One of the friends brought her children, who are very close to Eleanor and have all known each other for most of their young lives; her daughter and Eleanor are best friends. This protest is personal for their family as well. My friend's husband is a Black man, and their children have heard their conversations, been asking questions, and are trying to understand the world right now. Eleanor has told me so many times that she doesn't understand why someone would not like anyone just because of the color of their skin, and that her BFF's skin is beautiful. It is heartbreaking to hear these words because it is not fair that this hatred is something we have yet to eradicate, but was also very powerful because it was once again a reminder that no one is born with hate. It is taught.

I don't know what will happen with either of these cases, or the untold number in existence. I don't know if George Floyd's family will get justice, or James Scurlock's, or Breonna Taylor's or Ahmaud Arbery's.

I do know we will not be silent. We will protest. We will march. We will demand change.

No justice, no peace.

20 comments:

  1. Thank you SO much for sharing your personal experience with this. We MUST take action and take a stand against this system that promotes racism and violence. I know many people have talked about listening and education, which are both fine in and of themselves, but ACTION is the only way forward at this point.

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    1. Exactly, action is the only way now because no one wanted to listen before. While I have concerns about the message being hijacked with some of the looting going on in some places, the protesters and looters are not the same and anyone who thinks that is not paying attention. Rioting is what happens when people are angry, oppressed, and silenced for so long. Smaller victories have already come, in the form of the other three officers being arrested, and in a grand jury being called for James. I also read yesterday that the Minneapolis Police Department has banned choke holds. Additionally, the University of Minnesota and Minneapolis Public Schools have cut ties with the MPD. I hope that as protests continue, more widespread changes occur around the country. There is so much policy change to hammer out but it can and will be done.

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  2. powerful statement! i've seen similar events at Berkeley, San Francisco and other locales... the realities in this country are nothing like what we've been taught in school. I hope you'll be very careful around situations like the above, both for yourself and for Eleanor... my lifelong experience has led me to the conclusion that authority is something to avoid at all cost...

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    1. Oh yes, and I appreciate your concern so much. After watching what happened on Friday night, I knew I would never take Eleanor to a protest in the evening. This is not because I fear the protesters, but because I would not want her exposed to the flash bangs, rubber bullets, and tear gas. Not only could she be injured by a stray, but I think that would be traumatic in itself for one who is only six, despite being cognitively beyond her years. I felt much more confident about exposing her to her right to protest at the protest on Friday morning, as it was a smaller gathering of people, and was more of a silent vigil type situation. We held up our signs for quite a while until the kiddos' arms got tired, and we found a shady place for them to sit (It was hot, like 90 degrees) and drink lots of water. The reception was overwhelmingly positive, so many people who drive by honked their horns in support, or raised their fists out their windows. I was very happy that this was Eleanor's first experience with protesting and it won't be her last!

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    2. I went to a number of demonstrations in my student years but never experienced anything like I've been seeing on TV. It's good that you got out there and that your daughter experienced the positive side of things. I was worrying about you both though. As you say, the possibility of a stray anything (to say nothing of being targeted) hitting you or anyone near you doesn't bare thinking about. These protests definitely seem different from anything that has gone before. I do hope that this is the start of something LONG overdue and that it leads to positive long term change everywhere.

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    3. I appreciate your concern, thank you so much <3

      This whole energy feels different than protests in the recent past. I feel like the #BlackLivesMatter protests have always been a force for change, but that George Floyd's murder as especially galvanized people into standing up and fighting for change. I do worry about the looters overtaking the message but overwhelmingly the protests, rallies, and gatherings are peaceful. No matter what the news might be showing, these looters are not part of these groups, and are not supported by protesters. The riots, I do understand. For how many years have People of Color protested peacefully, only to be told they were not doing it the "right" way? Now that we are no longer protesting quietly, those same people who tried to silence everyone are now saying they will listen. Nope, too late. Change is no longer an option, it is necessary and MUST happen. I have read so many great ideas for policy change and reform, and already that has started in Minnesota, where George Floyd was murdered. The University of Minnesota and Minneapolis Public Schools are cutting ties with the Minneapolis Police Department. The MPD is also banning the use of choke holds - though why that took so long is beyond me. Change is coming. It will be uncomfortable for a lot of people, but it is coming.

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  3. Thank you for your well written report. It is the only one I have read about this whole scene written by someone I know and trust! The fact that the protests went on all week despite the violent efforts of "law enforcement" to stop them speaks volumes.

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    1. Thank you as well! I held off on writing it for a while because I wanted some time between last Saturday and when I actually wrote it, because I was pretty angry. I wanted to be as objective as possible in describing what I witnessed. Protests are still going on here every day and night, in more than one location around the city. I also read yesterday that in addition to protests occurring in all fifty states, there are at least 18 other countries that have held #BlackLivesMatter protests for George Floyd, making it all the largest civil rights demonstrations in history. His death was horrific and never should have happened, but I hope even though his family may never have closure, they can find a bit of comfort in the fact that things will never be the same. I have hope that this time, policy changes will be made and that much-needed reforms will happen.

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  4. I admire your bravery in taking part in that protest under such conditions, and the clear and factual way in which you have reported your experience. So much information is being twisted or selectively released that independent voices are vital to establish truth.
    Here in the UK we've got MPs responding to constituents' requests to acknowledge BLM both in the US and in the UK with dismissive statements such as 'arsonists and looters deserve everything they get'. Totally ignorant of (or ignoring, at least) what is really going on, and knowing that they are totally safe because the racist at the top of the Tory party couldn't care less anyway.
    I am frightened for what America will have come to by the end of the summer, but I do have hope that this time the protests won't be in vain.

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    1. Thank you Stephanie! I waited a while in writing up this post, because I wanted to be as factual as possible. I was so angry those first few days afterwards that I would not have been able to keep to the facts of what I saw. I am still angry, but I have now been able to redirect it into a more positive and constructive anger in order to get things done.

      I am interested to know how this is being covered in the UK and Europe in general. I will have to take a look at the Guardian and such later, are there specific news sources you can recommend I look at? It is very telling when people protesting are lumped in with the looters. Of course there are people taking advantage of the unrest, and that has been documented in several cities. A few days ago the governor of Minnesota and the mayor of Minneapolis stated that the majority of people arrested (at that time, around 80%) were not from Minnesota. There are also reports of people with ties to white supremacist groups targeting these protests and traditionally Black neighborhoods and communities to make it appear that the protesters are responsible. I find that abhorrent, and I worry about the message getting lost, and that the policy change and reforms we need will get lost in the noise. But I am also hopeful because there is no end in sight to these protests and I think changes will come. In Minnesota specifically (where George Floyd was murdered) both the University of Minnesota and Minneapolis Public Schools are cutting ties with the MPD, and the MPD have banned the use of choke holds (not sure what took so long in that case though). I think as long as we keep protesting and making our voices heard, big changes will come.

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  5. The thousands of people of all races who are taking to the streets to peacefully protest police abuses, assaults, and murders truly give me hope that maybe this time will be different. Something's happening here and what it is may not be entirely clear yet, but I don't think the outrage will abate until something positive comes of it.

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    1. I feel the same way! Changes have already started in Minnesota, with the University of Minnesota and Minneapolis Public Schools cutting ties with the Minneapolis Police Department, as well as the MPD now banning choke holds (not sure why this took so long to begin with, but at least we're there now). Even after those changes, people are still out in the streets every day and night protesting for George Floyd and even though I can't be there with them at home, I can do so here. And even after a grand jury was finally called for the case here where the white bar owner killed and unarmed Black man, protests are continuing as well, and in more than one location. There were three that I know of on Friday, and it is not going to stop until we see real, legitimate change.

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  6. The behavior is shocking! What a frightening night! I hope that positive things will come with all the outcry for justice being sounded.

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    1. I feel like change is coming. It will be uncomfortable for a lot of people but the old system has to change. The Minneapolis City Council voted to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department and I am following this with great interest to see what how community protection will now look. At this point, incremental reforms are not enough. Rapid and immediate change is the only option.

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  7. Thank you for sharing your experiences with the protests!

    I attended two Black Lives Matter protests here in Toronto this past weekend. They were both very peaceful. I'm so sorry the cops in your area were horrible.

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    1. It really warms my heart to see and hear about so many protests taking place in other countries. I recently read last week that protests had taken place in all fifty states, as well as 18 countries (at that point, there may be more now), making this the largest civil rights movement in history.

      I have really found it interesting to look into how protests in other countries are going, and I am really glad to hear your protests were peaceful. Was there a police presence at all? At the one I attended Saturday night, city buses were used to transport new officers in every half hour or so, and eventually they all started arriving with gas masks already on, so we knew it was about to get rough.

      After the reactions and peaceful protests and rallies that have happened since, I have seen some shifts in officers' behaviors - but not enough. So, we keep protesting until bigger changes come!

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  8. OMG Sarah... Reading the stories online, watching videos on Twitter etc was painful and horrifying enough but reading your account really hits home. I can't believe you witnessed this first hand.
    The UK media was barely focused on this in the beginning - the odd mention here and there - but over time the coverage has increased, pretty much in line with the UK protests. It's frustrating as hell that the coverage is so watered down.
    I hope change is coming. I'm hoping there's justice. It feels like this could mark a turning point...

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    1. I am so glad I did. This is such a huge moment in history and I wanted to be able to do my part to ensure that our part here was captured honestly. So much misinformation has been spread, especially when talking about protesters vs looters, and garbage like that. I do think this will be a major turning point. Already in Minneapolis where George Floyd was murdered, big changes are coming. The University of Minnesota and Minneapolis Public Schools cut ties with the Minneapolis Police Department, and the Minneapolis City Council voted to defund the MPD as well. I am really interested to see how resources will be reallocated to create a new emergency response system, to replace what we have now, because obviously the police force we have now is not working. I am more optimistic than I have been in a long time about these issues. People are not forgetting, protests and rallies are still going on.

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  9. Sarah, I keep coming back to this post and re-reading it. My emotions are a torrent EVERY time. I can't express how proud I feel of you, how inspired, how honoured I feel just by knowing you. Times are changing and we won't allow it to be swept under the carpet any longer.
    XxXx

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words; I want to do everything I can to amplify the Black voices that have been drowned out for long. The protests are something I relive and think about constantly - what else can I do, how else can I help. The biggest thing I am doing now, as protests have shrunk, is working on talking to my white friends who don't get it or understand. Those conversations are hard for all of us, but they need to happen. I am hopeful and optimistic that things can never go back to the way they were. Changes have already started and if we keep pushing forward, we will win.

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