Drunken College Students blocking off the streets, starting fires, 5 arrests = “mostly good behavior”. And yet after a month of peaceful protests the “fear” of violence started by Chief Koval, lied about by Chief Koval and continued by Chief Koval, continues to be a concern to reporters and people throughout the city. Why?
White, drunk and stupid
This channel 3 story made me really mad yesterday morning. The video shows flying flames in a huge crowd. Which the police either call a “small fire” or fail to acknowledge on their twitter. And the police twitter feed seems to convey the message that all was well and thanks the crowd for “mostly good behavior”.
On the other hand . . .
Young, Gifted and Black
In the over 1 month of peaceful protests, no one has been arrested. No one has started fires. No one has been anything but peaceful. Angry, but peaceful. And the Young Gifted and Black leadership is largely responsible for that, despite how Chief Koval tries to have the police take credit for it. The leadership has been out there, getting protesters to stay behind the banner, stay together and stay peaceful. Yes, the police have helped block off the streets, but beyond that, I haven’t seen them out there “keeping the peace” or controlling the crowd in any way. They mostly stand very far back from the crowd, at times it feels more like they are there to intimidate. At other times, they seem bored or happy to be outside for the day.
Once again, the reality of the situation of these protests seems to be mischaracterized, like the gross mischaracterization of the night of the shooting and what happened at the City-County Building. And that mischaracterization that has been started doesn’t seem to end. Young Gifted and Black aren’t calling for violence. Young Gifted and Black will be the people you want on the streets if there is a non-indictment. They are trusted leaders that will help keep the peace. And just because Brandi Grayson suggested or predicted something different may happen, doesn’t mean it was a threat to the community. Stop it already. It was a prediction by someone who has been there in the streets and keeping the peace. Here’s the press conference from Friday night and Monday afternoon where Young Gifted and Black are asked about their “violence”.
Audience member: I wanted to provide an opportunity for you guys to talk a little bit about what maybe misconceptions of the Young Gifted and Black group, there are lots of people in our community that feel that your approach is negative, that, and I’m not speaking for myself, these are things that they have heard, she wants to give them the opportunity to respond to that, that your approach is negative, that you seem to be coming from a violent unsafe place with your message, that you are encouraging youth to be violent or do things that are not necessarily constructive in this case. Can you talk a little bit about what your approach is and how it is constructive for African American youth and important for them to follow your movement.
M Adams says its important to understand social change makers in a social movement context. We, right now, Madison is like we love Dr. Martin Luther King, Madison is thrilled with Dr. Martin Luther King, we just had a really big beautiful ceremony at the Capital to honor Dr. Martin Luther King. But actually, while Dr. Martin Luther King was doing the work that we love and honor and appreciate Dr. King for, Dr. King was called violent several times, he was viewed as a trouble maker, Dr. King was seen as being irrational, disruptive and not doing the things that how people thought Dr. King should behave. That same analysis applies here, 40 years from now, 50 years from now, I think people are going to be saying, Young Gifted and Black is such a wonderful group, they have done important work and our actions, people will talk about with the same kind of energy and proudness and excitement that they describe the sit ins, the boycotts, the marches, all of which at the time were deemed inappropriate, ridiculous, not right, violent, I think that is the same sort of thing happening here. She thinks that change makers or freedom fighters are often demonized, like many of us in this room might say we value Angela Davis, the same story applied to her 40 years ago when it was her experiencing that. We as Young Gifted and Black, we use our people power. That is what we use, that is what we have. Yes, we disrupt the violence that the state is doing. We are not the creators of the violence. The violence happened on March 6th, Friday night when Tony Robinson was gunned down. The violence did not happen when I took up my community’s power and my community’s pain and I protested in the streets.
There was a break and a reporter asked one more question I couldn’t hear and Matt Braunginn says that they are looking for a positive outcome from . . . law enforcement has not been peaceful with us . . . (interrupt with more questions I couldn’t hear) . . . what we are, we are not planning for violence, I don’t know where this is coming from. That we keep asking for violence. WE have not perpetrated any violence (now clapping and I can’t hear him) The police have instigated violence upon us, why are we being asked if we are going to be violent or not when the state continues . . . he’s still clapping but drown out by clapping and cheering.
Compare
Compare the two situations and how the police department treats the situations:
– when white people block the streets over a sporting event, get drunk and disorderly, get arrested and start fires its ok, and they are thanked for the “mostly good behavior”
– when black people are angry about injustices in the community, they are unreasonable and potentially violent
It’s hard to come to any conclusion but that the structural racism that Young Gifted and Black has been talking about for months is real and persistent and starts with the leadership within the department. Is there any other conclusion to draw?
Thank you for pointing out the double standard. You are right it would have been treated and looked at differently if they had been of color.
Brandi Grayson’s passion terrifies certain white men who like to be in control. They like the meek who adore them. She has a fine mind and is a power on her own. Most of them have to sell out and are limited by their status to be real. I believe they envy and fear her and others like her at the same time.
I told my mother about your pointing out the double standard. I said, “I don’t want white kids arrested but I don’t want Black kids arrested either.” Mom said that the white kids don’t get treated differently because the powers that be don’t want to see their futures’ ruined but the powers that be don’t care about the future of the Black kids.