Columbia protesters want message to be heard, not be overshadowed by weekend chaos
Amid the uproar of weekend rioting in Columbia, there was a purpose that many protesters don’t want to be drowned out.
Many of them have a plea for changes in policing, in the handling of justice and in the treatment of black communities.
That’s why they stood on the lawn and steps of the S.C. State House and sang “Amazing Grace” on Saturday, why they linked arms and chanted “I Can’t Breathe” on the sidewalk along Gervais Street on Sunday, and why they lay on the ground in silent grief and protest of systemic racism and injustice on Monday.
“I just personally feel that no person, no race should ever be discriminated against. With everything going on, I just felt like it was the right thing to do to come out here,” said Briana Nguyen, 20, a Midlands Technical College student who was among Sunday’s crowd. “We are all equal and everyone deserves equality.”
“What will this look like down the road if we don’t make change out of this moment and this defining time?” said 26-year-old Lawrence Nathaniel, an organizer of the weekend’s “I Can’t Breathe” protest events. “They are going to look at us like we were just a bunch of idiots out there rioting and protesting. Change has to be done. ... And if it is not done, this is going to be a repeating thing every year.”
Efforts to peacefully protest were overtaken multiple times last weekend, eventually devolving into violent clashes with police, burned cars, vandalized businesses and streets filled with tear gas, rubber bullets and armored police vehicles. Nathaniel decried the violence and destruction, and protesters and law enforcement officials alike have said that at least some of the chaos over the weekend was caused by outsiders with bad motives.
Columbia mirrored scenes across the country as a nation mourned the recent death of yet another black man, George Floyd, at the hands of police. The mourning mixed with outrage over systemic racial oppression, which is what drew many people to protest events in the first place.
Anthony Baker, 54, said the violence in Columbia was unfortunate — like “putting wood on a fire.’’ But he also said African Americans are scared and frustrated.
“There’s going to be some blood shed, but we don’t need no more bloodshed,’’ he said. “It’s time for people to come together and talk.’’
Tevin Wallace was conflicted about the violence that erupted in Columbia late Saturday.
Wallace, a 29-year-old Columbia resident who was among those protesting against police killings of African Americans, said the violence across the country was unfortunate. But he questioned whether it was necessary to get the attention of governments and police departments.
Peaceful protests that marked the civil rights movement in the 1960s haven’t prevented police officers from needlessly killing black people today, he said.
“It didn’t solve anything, it really didn’t,’’ Wallace said as he sat on a street corner along Gervais Street late Saturday night. “It just hasn’t worked for the most part.’’
The riots that occurred in Columbia and nationally made a point that it’s time for police killings to stop in the black community, he said.
“This is finally getting everyone’s attention that we can’t stand for these brutalities,’’ he said. “This has been going on for 400 or 500 years, and I think now we are starting to come together, white, black and everybody else to fight for justice as a result of these killings.
“It’s unfortunate that some businesses got destroyed, but there sometimes are casualties in the middle.’’
Wallace said one of the best ways to make improvements is for police officers to stand up and push for changes that will better protect African Americans from police violence, he said.
Wallace said he doesn’t think all police officers are bad, but as an institution, police departments worry him.
“To me, as a black man, they are something to fear,’’ he said. “It may be a busted tail light on my car, and I get pulled over (because) they think I might have something in the car. You just don’t know.’’
He saw that personally Saturday, Wallace said. Two friends he had been with earlier in the day were detained by Columbia police and were being held on a bus for detainees.
All they did, he said, was peacefully protest in the Vista.
“They were just standing there with locked arms,’’ he said.
Nathaniel said the show of force by police this weekend was an example of why people are protesting in the first place.
“The police tactics that were used were disrespectful to the community,” Nathaniel said. “But I also know that they need to protect their house and they need to protect the community that’s out there rioting with us. … (Sunday) is where I draw the line. (Sunday) is when you had cops automatically drawing guns on people. That is why they’re out they’re marching, and (cops) are provoking them.”
Police officers were quicker Sunday to deploy tear gas and rubber bullets against a smaller and overall calmer group of protesters than those that had gathered Saturday outside the Columbia Police Department headquarters.
Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said on Monday that tear gas and rubber bullets were used Sunday to ward off encroachment on the Columbia Police Department like what was seen the previous day and that actions were taken in response to bottles and other objects being thrown at police by protesters.
Nathaniel shared a list of what he called “demands” to Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin over the weekend that included measures addressing police use of force. Among the demands:
- A statewide database tracking police use-of-force incidents that includes the race of both suspect and officer.
- Public notification whenever a use-of-force incident results in death and public notification of whether an officer is charged or exonerated in cases involving use-of-force or in-custody deaths.
- Mental health services to address the psychological effects caused by discrimination and violence against the black community.
- Investment in black youth and young adults through recreation centers, literacy programs and workforce development programs.
“It’s not just what I want to see change; it’s what people want to see change,” Nathaniel said. “A lot of people think protesting won’t work, but marching, protesting, rioting is literally how black people got everything we have today.”
Nathaniel said that Monday would be the last day of organized protesting on his part.
His next step?
“Mobilizing voters.”
This story was originally published June 1, 2020 at 6:09 PM.
