A protest against the death of George Floyd will take place at Franklin Park. Here’s what we know.
“We have way too many examples of this happening across this country.”
Protesters are again expected to gather in Boston on Tuesday evening for a rally and vigil in memory of George Floyd and other Black Americans who have been killed by police.
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The Tuesday event, “Not One More!”, follows two days after thousands of people peacefully protested throughout the day on Sunday, with violence and looting erupting after the event’s conclusion downtown. City officials have condemned the destruction and chaos that took place, which resulted in 53 arrests and the transportation of 18 bystanders and nine police officers to local hospitals with injuries. Protesters again gathered on Monday night in Grove Hall, demonstrating peacefully against Floyd’s death.
The organizer behind Tuesday’s event, Monica Cannon-Grant, spoke Monday at a joint press conference with Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, Attorney General Maura Healey, and Bishop John Borders III, of Morning Star Baptist Church. Cannon-Grant, who runs Violence In Boston, a nonprofit dedicated to violence prevention in the city, said the protest is in response to the deaths of Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and other Black lives lost.
“We have way too many examples of this happening across this country,” Cannon-Grant said.
The Tuesday protest is being supported by the ACLU of Massachusetts and Black Lives Matter Boston.
If you plan to attend, it’s important to stay safe and Know Your Rights during COVID-19.https://t.co/tIwK7I73z0 pic.twitter.com/q5fyrjlWSD
— ACLU Massachusetts (@ACLU_Mass) June 1, 2020
Cannon-Grant said she has been in dialogue with Walsh and the city about the event, which she announced on Friday.
In his remarks, Walsh again praised the peaceful protests that occurred Sunday and condemned the violence that followed, reiterating his belief that the destruction undermines the memory of Floyd and “what this movement stands for.”
“Our goal is to keep Boston safe so that Boston continues to be a place where you can make your voices heard,” Walsh said. “We believe in activism and free speech … that’s what our city and our country was founded on. We believe in protecting that right. And we believe in peace, so we want to keep our city safe. We should not let [Sunday] night’s violence distract us from George Floyd’s memory and what his memory means. Or any countless other people who have been murdered.”
During her remarks Monday, Cannon-Grant said problems around systemic racism cannot be addressed unless there is first acknowledgement that there is a problem.
“The issue in the state of Massachusetts and the City of Boston is that racism is real,” she said. “And I think a lot of people get confused because it doesn’t look like it looks in the south. We have the undertones, the microaggression racism here in the City of Boston. You won’t really know who’s racist until you press a button and say the right thing, or if you say ‘Black lives matter’ publicly and they jump on your social media account and say ‘all lives matter.’ And my response to that is all lives have always mattered, but Black lives have not.”
As of Tuesday morning, more than 2,000 people have indicated on the Facebook that they are attending. The protest will begin at 5 p.m. at Franklin Park Road and Blue Hill Ave.
“At 5:20 pm we will occupy Blue Hill Ave and ‘Die In’ for 8 minutes and 46 seconds,” Cannon-Grant wrote on Twitter. “Which is how long George Floyd laid on the ground. At 5:30 we will begin to March down Franklin Park Road toward Lemmanuel Shattuck. We will Rally at Lemmanuel Shattuck side of Franklin Park where we will chant, hold space and perform a candlelight vigil for the fallen. We will then discuss the many ways that people can plug into their Community to keep the momentum going to ensure that no more Black lives are lost.”
https://twitter.com/ProRockThrower/status/1266743920643510276
https://twitter.com/ProRockThrower/status/1266743938385424387
Event organizers are asking all attendees to bring and wear a mask, hand sanitizer, and gloves and “remain socially distant.”
Cannon-Grant said Monday that violence at the event will not be condoned.
“We’re going to protest and we’re going to scream and we’re going to yell,” she said. “But I want to say this out-loud — I’m born and raised here. Grew up in Dorchester, lived in Roxbury for 17 years. We’re not tearing up where we’re from — plain and simple … We’re not destroying the Black businesses in our community because we built those.”
What she wants to see is equity in the funding and support provided to the community.
“We want to make sure that Black businesses and nonprofits get the same funding and equal funding opportunities as our white counterparts,” she said. “That’s how you effect change. Give us the money we need to take care of our people and watch us thrive.”
Boston Police Commissioner William Gross said Monday that of those arrested in looting and violence, 27 people were from the city, but 24 were from outside the municipality and two individuals were from out of state.
Following Cannon-Grant’s remarks, the attorney general said there is ongoing coordination and vigilance to protecting public safety at future events.
“There are unfortunately people who in times like this will seek opportunities to exploit for their own gain,” she said. “So many of the people — and currently this is under investigation so we’re limited in what we can say — but suffice it to say, they do not represent Boston. They do not represent the community. They do not represent the cause around which this movement is centered.”
Healey asked anyone who is thinking of attending Tuesday’s event with the intention of acting destructively to stay away.
“If they have a thought of acting in those ways, (even if they) feel they are doing so in a way that furthers the movement and the cause, please don’t go there,” she said. “You only set us further and further back.”
Watch the full Monday press conference below:
https://www.facebook.com/wcvb5/videos/4067158696657889/?v=4067158696657889
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