Modesto protest of George Floyd death starts with peaceful march down McHenry Avenue
Minneapolis is about 2,000 miles east, but speakers to several hundred protesters Sunday morning brought their message of systematic injustice right to Modesto’s doorstep.
Brianna Jones, one of the young organizers speaking on Tenth Street Plaza, said she’s been asked why she didn’t go to Minneapolis if she wanted to protest the May 25 death of George Floyd, who was black, during his arrest by four police officers there. “We face injustice every day, everywhere,” was her reply.
Wendy Byrd, president of the Modesto-Stanislaus Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said policies and prejudices need to be examined right here. Among the actions she called for is an independent civilian board to review police actions.
“We’ve been here before,” she said to a crowd before it embarked on a four-hour march that drew a crowd estimated at more than a thousand. “Matter of fact, we ain’t never left it. What happened is nothing new. The only thing that’s new is the cell phone. Had it not been taped, nobody would have believed it.”
Longtime community activist Sebastian Jones spoke of his long battle to join a Modesto commission with no black representation, and to get more black officers on the Modesto police force. There are now “a few” more black officers, but he said they’re assigned to north Modesto, not to the south or west, where black youth can look up to them.
Jones said he’s counting on the young people of color who turned out Sunday to keep up the fights, and he brought dozens of voter registration forms. That’s where power lies, he said. The City Council is largely “some old boys” who need to be removed “because they don’t see what we see,” Jones said to cheers.
‘Time for a culture change’
What happened to George Floyd, who was being arrested on suspicion of forgery after reportedly passing a counterfeit $20 bill at a store, could happen here, said Debbie Martinez, a member of the We R La Raza Parents Union. Things could be changed if people in power would look around and see the truth, but they won’t, she said. “It’s time for a culture change,” Martinez said, accusing the local education system of creating a “schools to prison” pipeline for minority youth.
The violence perpetrated on Floyd occurs across the country, speaker Jacqueline Rease said. “You name a city, it’s happened there. You name a state, it’s happened there. ... Police don’t care about us.”
Authorities on Friday filed charges of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter against officer Derek Chauvin, 44, who kneeled for nearly nine minutes on Floyd’s neck. Chauvin and other officers involved in the incident, which was recorded by bystanders, were fired soon after.
Rease’s husband, Carvel, drew cheers when he said the officers should be convicted and, when sent to prison, housed with black men, who “will solve the problem.”
Taking over McHenry
After hearing these speakers and more, the diverse group of protesters — white, black, Latino, people of Asian and Middle Eastern descent, and more — started on the roughly six-mile march. The downtown portion passed by the headquarters of the Modesto Police Department. Temporary concrete barriers blocked the main entry. Plastic sheeting protected the peace officer memorial at the site.
Police closed McHenry in phases to accommodate the crowd, which spread across all traffic lanes. They chanted messages including “I can’t breathe” (what Floyd told Minneapolis officers before dying), “No justice, no peace” and, when walking by the Modesto Police Department, “Don’t shoot.”
Along McHenry, marchers periodically knelt and raised their hands in memory of Floyd and other victims of violence against blacks.
Organizers called for the march to be peaceful, but the Target store on McHenry at Standiford closed in advance as a precaution, and at least one downtown businessman, the owner of a bail bond company, stood outside his office with his guard dog to protect his property.
A brief confrontation happened near Bowen Avenue, when an apparent opponent of the protest got into a shouting match with demonstrators. Police were already on hand and quickly intervened. As the protesters stopped at Briggsmore Avenue, some water bottles were tossed toward officers on horses.
The MPD posted updates on its Facebook page during the march. One read, “The overwhelming majority of demonstrators are obeying requests of officers directions, with the exception a few that have chosen to start throwing water bottles.”
‘I’m proud of the solidarity’
The march paused for a rally just south of Sylvan Avenue. Among the speakers was Alex Walker of Modesto, who talked on behalf of fellow African-Americans about the need for respect from police.
“I’m proud to see us out here,” the told The Modesto Bee afterward. “I’m proud of the solidarity.”
About five protesters along the route stopped for interviews, and told The Bee they were there for Floyd, and with the hope of less violence against minorities and more representation.
A later post read, “One arrest has been made during this event. Protesters are approaching McHenry and Standiford Avenue. Demonstration events are dynamic in nature, and it may be necessary to close streets throughout the day for public safety.”
The cloudy day made for tolerable conditions for both protesters and police. That lanes on McHenry were largely closed to traffic allowed people to spread out.
And as the group made its back south again on McHenry, toward downtown at about 2:30 p.m., the department noted: “Demonstrators have remained vocal, but peaceful. Traffic is being impacted in both directions.”
This story was originally published May 31, 2020 at 2:17 PM.
