The bad must not overshadow the good at Modesto protest
Protesters in the streets of Modesto on Sunday weren’t perfect. Police weren’t perfect. But both sides managed to mostly accomplish what they set out to do.
For several largely peaceful hours, protesters marched and chanted, venting deep frustration and anger that white and Asian American police officers in Minneapolis a few days earlier had killed George Floyd, a handcuffed black man. The Modesto march, like hundreds across the United States, was sparked by outrage at police brutality and further fueled by pent-up resentment at racial and socioeconomic injustice.
Modesto protesters made their points
About 3,000 protesters kept it mostly civil for seven long miles, from downtown Modesto to the Target store on McHenry Avenue and back. Their demonstration was eye-catching, forceful and effective. The story of a young woman’s routine of embracing her husband each time he leaves their home — both of them knowing that a black man never feels entirely safe in this world — was especially stirring and memorable.
Having tied a bow on a long and tense march, organizers signed off and headed home. They have reason to be proud for carrying off a courageous and peaceful protest. It’s not easy to take a dignified public stand while closely watched by those who represent the target of your anger: law enforcement. Speaking truth to power can be dangerous.
Some actions of Modesto police on Sunday are worth noting.
Shutting down traffic so protesters could more easily make their way up McHenry was smart. Enabling people to exercise First Amendment rights to free speech and assembly can help us see officers as more than uniformed, armed robots.
Sending mounted police was questionable. At MoBand concerts in Graceada Park, an officer on horseback seems approachable; at a rally against police brutality, a mounted officer can appear aloof and intimidating — looking down on the masses from a privileged, higher perch. The crowd clearly perceived mounted police differently from officers on bicycles who moved among the people on their own level.
Tensions similarly rose when officers appeared downtown in riot gear, after official march organizers had gone home and as the restive crowd threatened a police vehicle. The sight of police ready for battle seems to bring out the worst in those who might not otherwise turn belligerent; on the other hand, the officers would not have appeared if things had not turned testy. One wonders whether officers in riot gear serves to escalate tensions, or to tamp down the potential for violence?
When things got ugly downtown
Because things did turn violent at that point, to a degree. A Modesto Bee videographer captured baton-wielding police shoving to the ground a man as he attempted — arms extended, his back to police — to shield another protester. A television news camera showed another man sending a parked police motorcycle crashing to the ground, then officers chasing and tackling him. Police arrested 16, a spokeswoman said.
The latest reports show no injuries and no stores looted, as occurred in many other places, including as close as Stockton, although some J Street windows were shattered in Modesto, rocks were thrown at fire trucks, some property was marred with graffiti and a patrol car was keyed. But the only streets shut down here were closed by authorities to help protesters, not because an unruly mob rushed a roadway like they did on Interstate 5 in Sacramento, whose people now are subject to a nighttime curfew.
That doesn’t mean violence on a larger scale can’t happen here. It could.
Blaming outside actors for inflaming tensions in Modesto is a false and naive narrative. Most of those arrested Sunday live in Modesto, police said. People here are fed up with inequality and uneven opportunity. Institutionalized racism has been perpetuated here as in other places, over many generations. Officers have hurt and killed people here, too.
The memory of Sunday’s well-organized, dignified and mostly peaceful march must live on. Police and protesters were not perfect, but police largely succeeded in keeping the peace while protesters raised awareness poignantly and effectively.
This story was originally published June 1, 2020 at 4:36 PM.