Peaceful Turlock Black Lives Matter vigil calls for difficult conversations on race
Activists at a Turlock vigil memorializing victims of police brutality urged Stanislaus County residents to talk with people whose life experiences differ from their own.
Although George Floyd died in Minnesota, speakers told the gathering of about 500 people that they can push for racial justice by challenging biases and taking everyday actions.
“We need to engage in the voting, engage in the protests and engage in having the uncomfortable, courageous discussions we all need to have so we can dismantle racism together,” said activist Jamil Stell. “When we all take individual responsibility, I truly believe that we can make this place a better place for my grandkids, for my sons ... .and George Floyd.”
As they walked from Central Park to Turlock City Hall, vigil participants held a moment of silence for 8 minutes and 46 seconds: the amount of time a Minnesota police officer pinned his knee on Floyd’s neck. About five Turlock police officers helped direct traffic, and Chief Nino Amirfar described the vigil as organized and peaceful.
“I’m very proud of Turlock Black Lives Matter,” Amirfar said as the crowd dispersed in front of City Hall. “They got the message across and they didn’t lose that message. God bless them.”
Activists see hope for racial justice, change
Difficult conversations about race, meaningful connections and reform can start locally, activist Alex Walker told the crowd. Conversations on race and injustice can be uncomfortable, he said, but he called attention to how African Americans are killed by police at higher rates than other racial groups. In 2019, black people accounted for 24% of the 1,098 people killed by police, despite making up 13% of the U.S. population, according to the data base Mapping Police Violence.
“That does not mean all cops are bad,” Walker said. “That does not mean white people are bad. But a fact is just that — a fact. You don’t like it? Change it.”
Toward the end of the vigil, participants taped pictures of victims of police brutality on the wall of City Hall. They also wrote messages on posters, including quotes in Spanish such as “tu lucha es my lucha,” meaning “your fight is my fight.” Turlock City Council Member Andrew Nosrati was among the attendees and said he is ready to listen to community concerns in the wake of George Floyd’s death.
Mary Roaf, an associate professor of ethnic studies at California State University, Stanislaus, called the current movement and the vigil’s turnout encouraging.
“I really feel like we are at a time in the 21st century which is our moment of reckoning and our moment of true revolution,” Roaf said. “We haven’t seen this kind of coming together and the unapologetic voices raised collectively to reclaim our human dignity.”
This story was originally published June 6, 2020 at 11:34 AM.
