Meet the Columbia woman feeding local protesters. ‘I... just started helping’
The supplies just seemed to flow in. People bringing food or drinks. Sets of Gatorade bottles coming across Gervais Street in front of South Carolina’s statehouse. Cars pulling up to unload. Even a batch of 30 pizzas that people walked down the street.
The protests in downtown Columbia following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis have gone on for more than a week. Supply stations are common at these events, with water for people out in the heat for long stretches, and Bre Norton has found herself at the center of something.
“I came to the protest Saturday and then the next day they needed help with snacks,” Norton said. “So I kind of just started helping. And then I went and bought a bunch of stuff, and then I had people donate a bunch of stuff and then it just happened.”
The 22-year-old Columbia native, who is close to finishing her undergrad work at Columbia College, has found herself at the center of a smaller element of these protests. She initially spent around $200 for snacks and drinks, and since then has grown more and more involved.
She joked she’s somehow become the supply/snack coordinator as she sat surrounded by chips, granola bars, beverages and a few other things.
She’s received a slew of new friend requests on Facebook. She’s now a moderator on the local Black Lives Matter page and also worked with the group I Can’t Breathe.
But it’s not exactly a structured operation. She isn’t sending anyone out to fill in an order. She loosely coordinates. People bring supplies, some requested, some not.
“I just come out every day and set this up and we have people that bring supplies as needed,” Norton said. “I coordinate with other groups. … If there’s anything I need, I just send requests and people bring it.
“Then I pack it up every night and take it home.”
An older woman who couldn’t come out and donate because she was quarantined with coronavirus gave money. Norton used that to buy a pair of rolling carts so she could quickly depart if things got out of hand.
Norton said she’s long been involved with volunteer efforts, including at Pawmetto Lifeline, Sister Care and Transitions in Columbia. She also is a caregiver for children with disabilities, but the pandemic has halted that for the moment.
So it gave her time to be out at protests every day last week, helping, refueling and hydrating those out there. She planned to take a slight break Sunday, hoping to catch up on some work to finish off her degree this summer.
Her station isn’t the only one, as a small first-aid station was based out of The Aristocrat Bar on Washington Street. But with its set of carts, chairs, coolers that seemed to appear and then get taken home by owners at the end of the night, it had an organic feel at the side of everything happening in Columbia this past week.
“It’s really been a huge community effort,” Norton said. “Just so many people wanting to help.”
This story was originally published June 7, 2020 at 5:15 PM.
