Demonstrators went to the West Side and back to Miller Park during Tuesday’s peaceful march, with no arrests during the demonstration. Like in other cities, this demonstration was a reaction to the death of George Floyd, who died while being held down by a Minneapolis police officer. Organized by community activist and artist Cameron Williams, the event began in Miller Park, where Trevan Young had been forcefully arrested the night before and found to be carrying an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle.
“Eyewitnesses told me that nine police jumped on him, and the police force were out here strong to protect the protesters,” said Mr.
Williams. “But over-aggression is the last thing we want to see, even if they’re in the wrong, we just want to be treated fairly.
“The greatest country is America because we have freedom of protest, and when we’ve seen protest in recent history, people are armed to the teeth. And often if they’re white, we see them move with impunity and even have escorts or being helped. But even before they found out he was able to carry, he was apprehended and treated with aggression, and they didn’t do their due diligence to find out he is a veteran, he is able to carry a weapon, and his weapon wasn’t even garnished.”
Mr. Williams said he prefers for protesters to choose to keep their guns at home. He wished for the protesters to present themselves as peaceful and unthreatening, but he said that choice should be left up to the individual.
“I am totally for the second amendment, so bringing your weapon is totally your choice,” said Mr. Williams. “But I would like to see solidarity on the protest side with no weapons, showing them that we are peaceful and mean no harm, but at the same time I do believe we should protect ourselves and practice our constitutional rights.”
Mr. Williams also gave a list of “demands” the protesters had for the city. These include taking some funds from the police (which he said take up over half of the city budget, although in 2021 it will take up around 28 percent of the proposed 2021 budget), and using those funds to invest in “the community, housing, education, and YFD centers.”
“We’re demanding you free all of the non-violent and victimless criminals who are affected by COVID or are at risk,” said Mr. Williams. “And decriminalize marijuana, because people are getting rich across this country and making millions and billions of dollars off it, while we’re still locking up brothers and sisters up for having dime bags.”
After this the demonstrators embarked upon a march to the College Hill Courts community. In between there, they made a stop at the Courthouse, where hundreds chanted slogans like “I can’t breathe” and “Say his name………..George Floyd” on the courthouse steps.
CPD officers Danna and Nathan Vaughn marched with the crowd, with Danna Vaughn notable for taking a knee with protesters the night before. The group of hundreds made their way down Market Street and then to Carter Street, where they walked through College Hill Courts. From there, they circled back to Miller Park, where Mr. Williams closed out the demonstration with a few words.
“This is the easy part. This is when you’re fired up with your brothers and sisters and you’re marching,” he said. “Now is the hard part and when the hard work begins.”
He said, “We’re going to be organizing until we see change, so if that means a week, a month, a millennium, we’re going to be organizing.”
After this, the crowd slowly began to disperse.