On May 31, R.A.C.E. Matters SLO County organized a local Act Now for Justice rally in Mitchell Park as part of the national movement against police brutality and outrage at the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
On May 25, Minneapolis police officers arrested Floyd, 46, after a deli employee accused him using a counterfeit $20 bill. Officer Derek Chauvin pinned Floyd to the ground with his knee on the back of Floyd’s neck and back for more than 8 minutes while he pleaded with police that he couldn’t breathe, eventually losing consciousness.
Opening up the rally, R.A.C.E. Matters SLO County founder Courtney Haile thanked attendees for showing up and demonstrating to the nation that “San Luis Obispo, like many cities across America, have had enough.”
“What did it take for this moment to have awakened? How much black trauma, dehumanization, and disregard for black life must we see on camera before we transform this country,” Haile said. “We’re here for black life, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, so many more, and those who have not been filmed.”
Haile told New Times she felt great and astounded by the number of attendees as R.A.C.E. Matters mobilized to create this event the day before it occurred.
She anticipated the event would garner about 50 to 100 people and envisioned passing a bullhorn around so people could vent and speak their truth.
Considering the current public health crisis, she said, there was a larger turnout than expected and a diverse spectrum of ages.
Some held signs that said, “Black Lives Matter More Than White Feelings.”
“No Justice. No Peace,” another read.
The message, she said, is to support black lives and not just black individuals that get killed and “become famous for a couple of weeks.”
“It’s not just posting #BlackLivesMatter, or it’s not just reacting to one black man who was killed on camera; it’s paying attention to how black people are treated and feeling in your community,” she said.
Other speakers shared their experiences of being a person of color in San Luis Obispo, and the rally also included music, poetry, an African libation ceremony, and 8 minutes and 46 seconds of silence for Floyd.
Tianna Arata told her story about organizing a peaceful protest with friends and her mother on May 28 in San Luis Obispo. A man approached her group, Arata said, and told them they “didn’t belong here” and if they didn’t like it they could “go back to Chicago.” She said the man came back with his car and ran into the group that was on the sidewalk.
“Had my white mom not been there to shelter me, I have no doubt in my mind he would have tried to run me over,” she said. “Everybody loves to point the blame and say San Luis is such a nice community. It’s so beautiful. There’s so much opportunity here. But you know what we lack? We lack diversity. We lack a voice. We lack community.”
Once the rally ended, Haile said the attendees organically started walking toward downtown San Luis Obispo to march.
Local high school students organized another peaceful protest on June 1, which began at Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, and attendees marched through the streets once again.
Aside from rallies and protests, Haile said activism can include donating, documenting with photographs, talking with friends and family, and educating yourself on laws and public policies. ∆
This article appears in May 28 – Jun 4, 2020.
We need to do more than kneel in protest and pray to our particular choice of God.
Demand criminal justice reform:
Demand the end of the costly and failed Drug War and force jury-based acquittals on all future non-violent drug offenses brought to any court. The end of for-profit private prisons and a major structural overhaul of the antiquated prison system, including the use of pseudo-slave labor. Unhindered access to mental health and legal support for anyone in the system, including officers. The legally required use of redundant body cameras, at all times while on-duty, under penalty of law and loss of pension. The end of child incarceration in adult prisons. Federal oversight and investigation into every officer-involved death of an unarmed person. Dramatically increased penalties for crimes committed by officers while on duty, including the violations of civil liberties of the accused. Full law enforcement disclosure (including racial stats) of all coerced interactions with the public and the immediate end of stop-and-frisk. Increased requirements for fitness for law enforcement, including psychological and sociological-based testing. Requirements of full and accredited 4-year degrees for gun-carrying officers. Termination of officers with a pattern of racial or religious intolerance. Re-evaluation of hiring practices and use of diversity in diverse neighborhoods. Increased training in non-lethal methods, managing children and the mentally ill, de-escallation and diplomacy, drug education, and REAL first responder training that covers the topic of asphyxia. Increased standards for the use of deadly force. The end of asset seizure laws and all policies that deprive the individual ‘Unconstitutionally’ of the right to vote.
And of course demand the end of the death penalty. Thou shalt not kill…