The Black Lives Matter LA and BLD PWR protest started around 12pm on May 30th, 2020, in Pan Pacific Park. Standing in the park, I was truly proud to see that so many people of LA came out in support of justice for George Floyd and the many others who have passed away due to police brutality. Latinx, Asian, White, and more people were standing in solidarity with Black protestors, sharing signs of their support. BLM-LA and BLD PWR leaders Melina Abdullah, Kendrick Sampson & Patrice Colors shared words of empowerment and the intentions of the day. 

I write to share my perspective of the protest as the media currently tries to tell a narrative of violence and disobedience as the worst things to happen in our society as of late. I went out on Saturday because Black people in this country shouldn’t have to feel like we are under attack, especially during a pandemic. And, I feel that leaders in government at the local, state, and federal levels are insidiously chipping away at the rights of all Americans at this time more than ever. 

We Protest To Prosecute & Defund Police

Kendrick Sampson led us in chanting the major concerns of the day’s protest: to 1. Prosecute Killer Cops and 2. Defund Police.  A major part of the reason for chanting Defund Police is because Los Angeles police are some of the most militarized in the nation and it appears that Mayor Garcetti wants to militarize them even more. BLM LA shared that he has proposed to give 54% of LA funds to LAPD. When you follow the taxpayer money that you’re putting into the system, you’ll see where it is going. This is not the time to be blindsided by issues like this. 

Mayor Garcetti hasn’t done much for homelessness and other social issues facing Los Angeles, but he wants to militarize the LAPD when crime is low.

Before we took our march to the streets, a truly humbling moment that brought tears to my eyes was hearing the Black mothers speak about their fallen children and chanting the names of others who were taken. BLM-LA’s Melina Abdullah made sure to share with us that we weren’t just gathering over police brutality and the killing of George Floyd but also the over 600 killings of people by police in Los Angeles County. She brought up one mother to speak about her son, Kenneth Ross Jr. who was killed by a police officer armed with an AK47 while in a park in Gardena. This took place a few years ago but it was only recently that the family was able to see a tape of what happened and how drastically it differed from the narrative the cops reported. The cops were able to go on, business-as-usual, cleared of any wrongdoing after a cop shot a boy to death, and then handcuffed his body. Kenneth’s family is urging for us to help them hold controversial District Attorney, Jackie Lacey accountable for letting the officers involved off.

Our protest is about RESISTANCE and showing that we won’t stand for this injustice anymore. People in the crowd were courageous, gathering to prove that they are unafraid and have demands.

Kendrick Sampson spoke about how over-policing isn’t the way to safety in our communities and it never has been. He stated:

Safety looks like affordable housing, safety looks like healthcare, safety looks like employment, safety looks like education.

Being at the protest for over 2 hours, I began to see that as many more people joined, taggers began to march too. I can say that the taggers I saw weren’t Black, many were non-black and very young. As the protest changed throughout the day, it’s likely that fringe instigators began tagging and looting with motives beyond #BlackLivesMatter and BLD PWR’s intentions for the day. I hope the media starts to address this more instead of calling our protests “violent.” 

I stand in agreement with messages like these that I saw at the protest:

Resources For Taking Action

It’s been positively heartwarming to see global protests erupting in London, Canada, Germany, and other places. The celebration of our Blackness is powerful and we must be unrelenting in our momentum to take action. Here are ways to support Black Lives Matter efforts:

Support Peoples Budget LA  to demand that LA Funds be used to support services we actually need!

Donate to Students Deserve a collective of students, teachers, and parents working for justice in and beyond schools to stop the school-to-prison pipeline.

Help Campaign Zero to end police violence by getting lawmakers to adopt policies that hold law enforcers accountable.

The Changing Womxn Collective created a full list of BLM resources, funds like the George Floyd Memorial and Reclaim The Block, petitions, and other actionable steps we can take to support this moment. I urge you to look at this amazing list and share it on your platforms as well.

News outlets, The Root and Jezebel have shared incredible articles on why this movement has happened now and the incredible words of Tamika Mallory, Nat. Co-Chair of Women’s March. 

This feels like a pivotal moment in our society to address systemic racism. Keep your momentum, take actionable steps, show support, and don’t avert your eyes!

Stay Strong, Hygenic, & Compassionate!

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Best,

Kai