By William Smith
The protest was peaceful — no violence or rioting followed.
But the anger over the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer simmered throughout Tuesday’s vigil/protest in downtown Burlington.
For a few minutes, it seemingly boiled over.
“They got a badge and they killing us. So how’s that justified,” Burlington resident James Taylor yelled, standing in front of Memorial Auditorium on the city's riverfront.
Taylor had interrupted a megaphone-assisted speech by fellow Burlington resident Kip Williams, but Williams seemingly took no offense. Having just decried the rioting in Davenport that co-opted the Black Lives Matter movement, he turned toward Taylor to engage in a very public dialogue.
For a few seconds, the boisterous crowd was stunned into silence.
“That’s why we need to strengthen ourselves,” Williams said.
Taylor was angry, and not entirely convinced.
“As a community, we are supposed to look to these people to help us,” Taylor said, looking around at Burlington police officers at the rally. “And guess what they’re doing. They’re not helping us. They going against us.”
Ryland McLaughlin, a fellow protestor from Mediapolis carrying a homemade sign that read “No Justice, No Peace,” took issue with Taylor’s assessment.
A couple of hundred of feet away, Burlington Police Chief Dennis Kramer was directing traffic along Front Street to allow the protesters safe passage. A block up, on Main Street, BPD Major Jeff Klein did the same.
“Look at them. Look at our police. They trust us,” McLaughlin said, approaching Taylor and amplifying her voice.
The day before, protest/vigil organizer Tenyshia Chalupa met with Kramer and Klein to discuss the peaceful intent of the rally. She reiterated that message in front of a crowd of more than 500 Tuesday night.
“This is not a white versus black thing. This is not a people versus police thing. This an everybody versus racism and police injustice thing,” she said.
The Burlington Police Department reciprocated with support and a show of unity, casually interacting with the crowd.
Taylor was still unconvinced, and more than a little frustrated.
“They laughin’ at us. They laughin’ at us because it took us this to stand up. So why didn’t we do this a long time ago?” Taylor asked.
“We’re doing it now,” McLaughlin countered.
Williams, megaphone still in hand, didn’t argue the validity of the movement based on its timing. He was just happy to see the community motivated.
“No matter who’s smirking, and thinks it’s funny, wait till it comes to your doorstep,” Williams said. “We can’t fix yesterday. But we can do something about today.”
Having said his peace, Taylor backed down and let Williams finish his speech.
By his own admission, Taylor is far from an angel. He has a criminal history. But he doesn’t believe that disqualifies him from having an opinion about police injustice.
“I’ve been running from the judicial system, and my life has been in shambles since. But today, I’m going to stand up for what’s right,” he said.
Unity among all races and those with opposing viewpoints was a key theme of the protest. Several protesters held small signs disparaging President Donald Trump. A few blocks down, on Jefferson Street, Trump supporters parked in front of the downtown shops to keep an eye out for possible rioting. They did not agitate, nor did they venture to the police station or the riverfront to counter-protest.
A small group called for violence against the Burlington police from a megaphone as they drove by, shortly before the vigil started. They were met with indifference by the protesters, protected by locals who stepped forward in groups of two to diffuse any violence.
Burlington resident Jay Wetterling, who stood on a green park bench in front of the auditorium, spoke about the reality of white privilege, noting that he was speaking up for minority family members who don’t have the same chance to air their grievances.
“I stand here for my sister-in-law, who deals with racial discrimination every day in the U.S. Army, and she can’t say a damn thing, because, obviously, she has to keep her mouth shut. She’s in the army,” he said. “She can’t protest. She can’t post. All she can do is message people and cry.”
McLaughlin said she is done being silent. Like many, Tuesday night’s protest was her first.
“It’s not just unarmed black people. Unarmed Americans should not die in police custody,” she said.
Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who pressed his knee into George Floyd's neck which killed him according to the results of an autopsy report, had the charge against him upgraded on Wednesday. He now faces a count of second-degree murder.
The three other officers on the scene during his killing were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.
Photo by William Smith
More than 500 area residents filled downtown Burlington on Tuesday in a peaceful protest of the death of George Floyd.