“I do everything I can to be a good ally, but at a certain point, just posting on social media and throwing money at a problem isn’t enough. Even right now, it’s such a privilege to be speaking with you like this because Black people are fearful of what will happen if they do show up and speak out” says 17-year- old protestor Sophia.
The First Pride was a Protest Denver’s Part in the Largest Civil Rights Movement in Human History by Ray Manzari Photo by Veronica L. Holyfield
The Protesters My first day attending Denver’s Black Lives Matter protest was Sunday May 31, eight days after the death of George Floyd. The tension in the air was palpable, a small group of people gathered around the Denver Police Department to sling insults and demand answers. An armored vehicle with a dozen MPs hanging off the sides and back made its way up Broadway toward the statehouse. But, as I crossed the lawn and got into the sight line of Denver’s Civic Center, I was taken aback by the sheer size of the crowd. While there is no official report of how many people showed up over that weekend, the estimates are in the thousands. 1 2 \\ D E C E M B E R 2 3 , 2 0 2 0
That fear was not unjustified; Denver Police Department used tear gas and pepper bullets to disperse crowds just minutes after the curfew over the weekend. Meanwhile, (former) Denver Police Officer Thomas McClay posted a picture of himself and two other officers on Instagram, captioning it, “Let’s start a riot.” As the week wore on, the tension slowly loosened. On Monday, Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen marched with protesters, and Monday evening, DPD (Denver Police Department) announced that they would not be enforcing the 9 p.m. curfew. By Friday, June 5, DPD had dissolved the curfew all together. But, speakers continued to bring passionate and moving discussions to the table. One fired-up speaker suggests that police departments need to be flooded with Black, Brown, and transgender cops. She also serves the large crowd with a history lesson on the Tulsa, OK riots and the looting and pillaging of Native American land. “When you talk to me about looting, when you talk to me about fires, when you talk to me about death, you better talk to me about Black Wall Street. Over 35 blocks were burned down, 21 banks, 6,000 homeless people after that incident; over 300 lives were massacred. Nobody wants to take accountability. Don’t talk to me about looting unless you want to talk to me about my ancestors.”
The Petitions For those who can’t attend protests, a large and ever-growing number of online petitions in support of Black Lives Matter are circulating. 1. HANDS UP ACT The Hands Up Act is a proposed piece of legislation that suggests officers receive a mandatory, 15-year prison sentence for the killing of unarmed men and women. 2. #WEAREDONEDYING The NAACP launched the petition in honor of George Floyd with the sole purpose of eliminating senseless hate crimes.
