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there are quite a few counter protesters at the youth organized black lives matter protest here in elkton, va. many of them are open carrying rifles in an effort to intimidate teens.
the rain and the racists couldn’t keep them at home, though. the picnic shelter here in stonewall memorial park is full of kids making signs, eating pizza, and preparing for their event.
it’s interesting that these counter protesters are clearly demonstrating their belief that the american flag represents an opposition to the idea that black lives matter.
elkton has a population of about 3000 and is 95% white. the town’s official facebook page today encouraged businesses to close early out of concern... that this group of teens would start a riot i guess? https://twitter.com/socialistdogmom/status/1273326987843600384?s=21
this is a very normal response to finding out kids are gathering in a park - standing high on a hill overlooking the group, holding a rifle.
signs in clear plastic bags for a rainy rally for black lives
over by the playground, men who say they’re with the augusta county militia are hiding behind a mulch pile
the youth organizers are starting the rally with an eight minute forty five second period of silence. the crowd is kneeling in the wet grass in the rain.
“this march would not be possible without the help of the organizers,” says the young speaker, thanking fellow organizers from the community.
the next speaker is covering some safety precautions. “there’s no plan for any kind of escalation,” “for those of you up on the hill: we have no plans to do anything to those monuments. we don’t care about them,” they say, addressing the armed counter protesters.
“the police are enacting racial violence across the country. the police are not our friends. please don’t talk to the cops. don’t antagonize them, don’t talk to them,” the organizer tells the crowd.
“we have white supremacists here with guns. they want to cause harm,” the organizer says. if they escalate things, the plan is to evacuate, not escalate. we are here to support & protect these kids.
“please prioritize the safety of black people and people of color in this park today,” they tell the white people in the crowd.
“please don’t believe any of the random stuff you’ve read online. please don’t put milk in your eyes,” the organizer says, in the event that chemical weapons are deployed. there are medics here to assist if needed.
one of the youth who helped put on the event thanks everyone for coming out and says anyone here with questions about the movement or the struggles of black people in the area can talk to one of the people with green armbands here at the event. (that’s such a cool idea!)
and now a prayer from a pastor. “may we hear your voice through their lips,” as they cry for justice.
“police violence is an epidemic in america,” reads a speech from a young woman being read by another organizer. “those bad apples are in the exact same uniforms as the so-called good ones,” “there is not a single good cop.”
someone on the hill is heckling but i can’t quite make it out. the speech continues, calling out the 1994 crime bill written by joe biden.
“in america, we allow private prisons to run a modern day slave trade,” those profits fuel lobbyists putting money into the pockets of our lawmakers. the system benefits itself.
“years and years and years of a system built specifically to keep black people from greatness” accounts for the massive racial disparity in america’s prison population, the speech continues.
“these cops chose to join the force. they saw the effects of their work,” and chose to continue violently enforcing the system.
“justice is people no longer accepting murder at the hands of the state. order is pepper spraying those standing up against injustice.”
(i’m going to try to get the full text of this speech if i can - it’s quite stirring and i’m not capturing it in a way that does it justice)
(i’m going to try to get the full text of this speech if i can - it’s quite stirring and i’m not capturing it in a way that does it justice)
a young organizer in a bulletproof vest again reminds the crowd not to interact with counter protesters.
“black lives should not be a movement because all lives matter”
“the q at the end of your name makes it look like a terrorist name”
“not all muslims are terrorists but all terrorists are muslims”
these are things an 8th grade teacher here has said to his students.
“the q at the end of your name makes it look like a terrorist name”
“not all muslims are terrorists but all terrorists are muslims”
these are things an 8th grade teacher here has said to his students.
there is a petition to remove this teacher from his job. he is currently being investigated by the school district. https://www.whsv.com/content/news/School-division-starts-investigation-into-Elkton-Middle-School-Teacher-571281481.html
a young woman at the mic says she has a question for the people on the hill with guns. “what do you think it means when someone says black women are the most disrespected people in america?”
she graduated from harrisonburg high school last year. she says she experienced significant microaggressions throughout her time at school. a volleyball teammate told her she “looked like a monkey,” which the school counselor didn’t see as a problem.
“the black lives matter movement isn’t just about police brutality,” she says. black kids need to be protected from racism like she experienced in school.
“my father was killed by a cop in 2001,” says the next speaker. george floyd’s murder affected him deeply. “what if the next one’s me?”
he’s performing a song he wrote. i don’t want to dox these kids, so the video is just of the grass, but here’s a portion of the audio
