First of all, I was not there. We are still in the midst of a pandemic, and even with a mask, it would be foolish of me to participate.
However, I have been to other protests, and I have to say I was so very proud of my community as they came out in huge numbers to rally against injustice and the murder of people of color. It was probably the largest rally ever in the city, and it came during a pandemic. I'm amazed people felt so strongly about the issues, and cared enough to attend.
From what I hear, it was loud and people were passionate. At Lafayette City Hall, the mayors of both cities (former police officers), the police chiefs, and assorted politicians of all stripes were there to speak, and to listen, to the thoughts and feelings of the protesters. I saw photos of handshakes, I heard video clips of exchanges, and I saw politicians kneeling with demonstrators, and walking with the concerned citizens.
The rally started at 8, and by 9:30, most of my friends felt they had been seen, had been heard, and had no reason to stay any longer. They went home.
And hear come some wise words: "Nothing good ever happens after [in this case, 10 p.m.].
After 10 p.m., there was still a huge crowd at the Courthouse. Perhaps someone could answer this question for me: WHY???? What was accomplished at 10 that wasn't accomplished; said, chanted, yelled, sang by 9:30? Why did people feel a need to still be there?
And, as you may guess, vandalism started. I've seen footage of four or more white boys (yeah, they looked like teenagers) breaking the glass in doors, and pulling spray paint out of their backpacks. In these same clips, I heard others yelling at these white boys, telling them to stop, asking what the fuck they were doing? The white boys did not answer.
I would say to those who were at the Courthouse but did not witness the vandalism, what followed was probably NOT "for no reason". What happened next was tear gas and smoke bombs fired into the crowd by police officers. That is the reliable information I heard--I did not hear about riot gear or the injuries of protesters. If it happened and you actually witnessed it, please let me know.
Some of my friends are now condemning the police for their actions. They have done a complete 180, from praising the mayors and the police chiefs for listening, for kneeling, for being supportive, to "Fuck the mayors, fuck the police". WHAT?
So here's my next question: What did you expect the mayors and police to do? To shoot tear gas and smoke bombs into the crowd was probably the most effective and least confrontational thing to do once the vandalism started. To physically clear the area would have required a huge amount of personnel, which the cities could not afford, and to allow the vandalism to continue was irresponsible. Before you say that doors could be easily replaced and spray paint cleaned, let me remind you of a few things: a few years ago, the Indiana legislature put in an amendment to the State Constitution that put a cap on property taxes (oh how I wish a protest against THIS could have been planned and well-attended). The result is that cities have far less money for things like...police...fire protection....and repairs to buildings. OH, and we are in the middle of a pandemic. EARLY projections are that there might be as much as a 30% DECREASE in budgets for cities as a result of lost revenue. So yeah, the doors could be replaced, but why allow further vandalism to take place, just because we could??? Firing tear gas and smoke bombs cost far less than the personnel it would have taken to clear the crowd.
And "fuck the mayors, fuck the police"???? You mean those same people that have come to social justice events in the community, who were at our church to speak in support of our mission when some evil person placed a banner on our property??? Those are the people you now are angry at????
Where's your anger for the white teenagers, that caused the vandalism? Where's your anger at the parents, who apparently allowed their young boys to go out without asking, "Where are you going?" Where's your anger for the parents, who apparently haven't taught their sons that their white privilege comes with responsibility--responsibility to do the RIGHT thing and NOT mar a peaceful protest, thus causing the message to be lost and overwhelmed by the "Look at what they did to our Courthouse"?
Let me be clear--I am COMPLETELY for the rights of citizens to protest,
to make themselves heard. I am grateful for the government officials who
took the time to be there, and who listened. I appreciate the work that
ALL of us do in this community.
Who am I angry at? I am mad as hell at the people who ruined a perfectly peaceful
demonstration by senseless vandalism. And I am mad as hell at the people
who can't be bothered to pay enough taxes to support our teachers, our
police, our firefighters, and even our snowplow drivers. I am mad as
hell at the GOP government, who can't be trusted to protect its'
citizens from COVID-19.
But, fuck the mayors, fuck the police? No. Not here. Not in our community.
