Anti-racism protest moves peacefully through Polson
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POLSON – Protests following the death of George Floyd have spread across the country from big cities to small towns as American citizens take a stand against racism.
On Thursday, June 4, about 50 people in Polson picked up signs and marched through town. Organizers Jessica Mali Edwards and Jenn Groves acknowledged being white and said it was important for them to stand in solidarity with people of color and show support.
“We need to stand together,” Edwards said. She said people of color didn’t create the problem of racism, so it is the job of white people to find a solution, and one way to do that, she said, is to be an ally and stand up against the problem.
Floyd’s death in Minneapolis was recorded by a bystander. People watching the video could see that Floyd wasn’t resisting arrest. While lying on the ground with his face pressed into the road, his hands secured behind his back, a white police officer pressed a knee into the Floyd’s neck. Floyd said he couldn’t breathe. Police brutality against people of color is often reported, but this time, the vivid details in the video were too much. “We wondered if things were ever going to change,” Edwards said. “After he was killed, I kept my ears open for a local protest. Everyone was waiting for someone to do something, so we decided to take action.”
Edwards said she received support from Lake County commissioners, the Sheriff’s Office and the Polson Police Department, and so the plans were set to hold the protest at the courthouse but that changed when she tried to get event insurance.
“No one is insuring protests right now,” she said. The process is usually simple and coverage is easy to obtain, but some protests in other cities have turned to violence. The Polson organizers wanted this protest to be focused on peace, but they said people with different views from the protesters might disrupt that peace.
She said all people in the United States have a Constitutional right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty, as enumerated in the Sixth Amendment found in the Bill of Rights. “Many people of all kinds have had that right violated, but our African American citizens have frequently experienced the assumption of guilt at the hands of law enforcement and private citizens, and have not lived long enough to have the chance to prove their innocence or be convicted by fair trial of their guilt.”
The event began at Riverside Park. Edwards shared a few guidelines with the crowd. She said that if anyone yelled at them, they were not to yell back. The protesters were to remain positive. If someone in a vehicle or on foot gave them negative feedback with gestures, ugly words or other communication, the protesters were to ignore it. “We will not respond with obscenities, shouting or rude gestures. Our signs and banners will not communicate hate or include obscenities.”
She welcomed all people who identify with different political parties, Republican, Democrat, Green, and Libertarian, to join the protest. She asked that the signs not take on any political nature so that everyone would feel comfortable participating. She asked the group to take a knee and prepare mentally for the event.
Protesters then picked up their signs and started to line up. Yemi Groves, who is a person of color, picked up a sign she created. She explained that her sign showed a portrait of a Black woman with the names of many Black women who have been killed because of racism. She wanted people to recognize that Black women’s lives matter. “Skin tone isn’t a crime,” she said. Other signs said: “I Can’t Breathe,” “Black Lives Matter,” and “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot.”
On a local level, Edwards said racism is as much a problem here as it is in bigger cities. She said she hears about people of color being harassed in the work place, in schools, and other community settings. “Some of the racism is intentionally mean and some is inadvertent and uneducated – both forms hurt,” she said.
On the morning of the protest, one incident went beyond hurt. “A friend of mine was walking in town. She is an African American. A pickup truck pulled up by her. The driver yelled, ‘All lives matter you f****** b****.’”
She continued: “We don’t have separate bathrooms or water fountains anymore, but have we really progresses that much? It is essential in a place like this, with a small African American community, that we stand together against racism.”
Two teenage girls of color shared a speech with the crowd and thanked the protesters for attending the event. “Many people say that there isn’t racism here. We want you to know that there is. We have experienced racism from our peers, our teachers, at the places we shop and at our places of employment. We need allies. The Black community is small but we are here. We need our community to support our safety, support our success and support our voices.”
The speech continues: “We want you to know how painful it is to open our social media, to turn on our TVs, to hear the news remind us that our race means nothing. It hurts to know that many of our community members are not supportive of us. That people remind us often that we don’t belong. We ask you to continue to listen to people of color, to hear our voices, to believe when we tell you our experiences. This protest is just the beginning of your effort to bring change to our valley, state, country and world. Don’t let it stop here. Let’s get loud. Thanks again for your support.”
Protesters walked up the hill from the park, crossed the street and walked along U.S. Highway 93 in town. They held up their signs. People honked in support. Polson Police Officer George Simpson joined the group and walked with them. Simpson later said he was there to make sure that everyone was safe. “Every person in our community is important to us,” he said. He encouraged people to talk to law enforcement if they have problems. He wanted to hear more about the incident with the truck and the racial slurs.
The protesters walked through town. They stopped at the courthouse to write names with chalk of people of color who have been killed because of racism. They added Floyd’s name and left flowers to honor his memory.
