From an NYC metro station, some friends and I walked up to join the protesters just after the Millions March had started in the early afternoon. We were about to unite with thousands of people in one of the largest actions organized against police brutality and the criminalization of black people, impelled by the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown. We could see a large crowd funneling out of Washington Square Park from several blocks away. The message of their chants was muffled but their impassioned voices resonated through the city streets. Suddenly, I was thrust into the quickly paced crusade, “hands up, don’t
http://ktla.com/2014/12/13/protesting-police-shootings-demands-for-change-sound-out-nationwide/
shoot,” they yelled, “I can’t breathe!” I joined in with nearly all of these chants. People were holding signs declaring that with no justice there is no peace, wishing the murdered a peaceful rest, and demanding that cops be held accountable for their actions. Images of the faces of those killed reminded me of the numbers, because nearly every sign had a new face, a different victim. I had no idea where I was in the march, at the beginning or end; thousands had gathered in solidarity. It was an astonishing and hopeful sight. Cameramen lined the sidewalks behind barricades assembled by NYPD officers. These officers watched the march with lenient and indifferent stares, sipping their coffees, and keeping one hand on their waist to look in control. New Yorkers from above, peering out of their high-rise windows, observed with either disapproval or excitement, much like the gaze of the nation, a nation that flipped through news stories of the protest only to end up back on another article about glazing a Christmas ham.
The last few weeks have been characterized by a sense of anger, frustration, and retaliation from African-Americans and their allies. Through the forced commercial happiness of the holiday season, the sting of injustice lingered and haunted for many. Two years ago, on December 14, the murder of 20 elementary school children in Newtown, Connecticut interrupted our holiday season, directing the entire nation’s focus toward reforming gun control laws. This year, in a more divided response over the interpretation of injustice, the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown infuriated peacemakers of all backgrounds. Those who marched felt that the non-indictment of police officers Darren Wilson and Daniel Pantaleo were twisted acts of justice.
http://allhiphop.com/2014/12/15/millions-march-draws-tens-of-thousands-in-new-york/
Unlike earlier protests in Ferguson and elsewhere, characterized by burning vehicles and market looting, the Millions March was not violent. I can’t say that I support a violent protest. But I believe I do understand the rage of these early protests, the ambivalence toward laws and rules that have been rendered useless to African-Americans. However, I also do not condone the Ferguson Police Departments’ policy of allowing officers to choose whether they want to carry a Taser gun. Darren Wilson chose not to carry a Taser gun, and this alone could have prevented Michael Brown’s death. More broadly, I don’t support violence, in protests and elsewhere. The tactics of police officers across the nation need a check-up. They have resulted in far too many unnecessary murders. Black Americans, in an effort to assuage not just police brutality but also their own continued socioeconomic oppression, are looking for a life of equal opportunities, one that provides a safe street to walk on in every state and city. Here we are again.
While marching, I held back from chanting to an extent. I was in a march that was essentially unrelated to my identity. I do not have the same concerns as a black mother waiting for her son to return home at night in a city tainted with de facto discrimination. These concerns are not relevant to my identity as a white person, but they are within my purview of concerns for our nation, just like so many other white people that marched. So the white person’s job was to show up- first and foremost- and then chant along with rallying cries that didn’t perpetuate white supremacy or cop killing. I wasn’t about to lead any chants or join in with those that sounded off-putting in my perspective. When protesters yelled, “who’s streets, our streets!,” I kept quiet, because a white person yelling this simply sounds like the antithesis of what we were there for. It was better for me to simply listen at times, and try to empathize. What is it like to fear even the most protective figures in our society? The march would continue to the NYPD headquarters where protesters attempted to shut down the Brooklyn Bridge in an act of civil disobedience.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alexandra-watson/millions-march-nyc-v-sant_b_6368152.html
Unfortunately I had to leave before it ended. I left feeling pleased with my decision to participate, but also feeling like this was a small step in a very deeply rooted issue that needs solutions on many fronts- in criminal justice, police training, prosecution, and socioeconomic equality. I headed toward Penn Station to catch a train back to New Brunswick, but not before navigating through a crowd of people dressed in Santa Claus costumes, gallivanting around Madison Square Garden in an intemperate celebration of Christmas time. I was unaware that this barhop called “Santacon” was happening the same day as the Millions March, but it was uncomfortable to see after feeling impassioned about the goodness of the human race. Seeing the Santa’s just reminded me of ignorance and the tradition of white male apathy. Among these Santa’s were probably some of the narrow-minded people that claim the recent deaths of two NYPD officers were the result of the Millions March and Mayor de Blasio, both of which apparently instilled a mentality of cop-killing. But the vast majority of protesters at the Millions March did not approve of the killing of cops in retaliation to the deaths of Garner and Brown. In other words, the Millions March was peaceful, an action entirely against the attack on violence with violence. I heard protesters chanting “all lives matter” far more than cynical chants like “jail killer cops,” and I never heard a chant about killing police officers themselves. Yes, some violence resulted from the march but one person can’t speak for the group unless all agree. One person can never speak for the group unless all agree.
The holiday season was laden with tears for many. There were tears for Michael Brown’s family, and for the families of the two officers killed in Brooklyn. Social struggles cannot be hushed away until the holidays are over. New issues are constantly appearing, and others are ubiquitous day in and day out. These issues are depressing, frightening and distasteful to talk about, but they are unceasing and should not be ignored for holiday interests. Because out of the anger and frustration of these marches comes a hope for equality, one that should brighten the spirit more than any material gift.
Cody Beltis