Activists In Charlotte, NC Shut Down Major Interstate, Rally To Mourn Black People Killed By The State

photo courtesy of @Neutralized
photo courtesy of @Neutralized


Recently, NC Attorney General Roy Cooper said that the state would not retry Wes Kerrick for killing unarmed Jonathan Ferrell. As part of the activist community in Charlotte, I can unequivocally say that this was beyond upsetting for us; it was heartbreaking.

Consumed with anger, sadness, rage, and many other things, we have been fairly quiet since then. At least to the public. But this past Friday we took a stand to show our city, state, and nation, that we are tired of the black and brown people who continue to be killed by the state with impunity.

So, activists led a public funeral procession down I-277, the major interstate leading into Uptown Charlotte, to mourn these killings. Traffic was almost completely at a standstill, with participating cars marked with “Black Lives Matter” and other important phrases. I was honored to partake and had my car painted with “AmeriKKKa” to symbolize the white supremacy that our country was founded upon and which still plays a huge role in our society today.

Of course people were upset, honked their horns, and yelled at us. We understand their frustration but it is important to note that we did not do this just to upset those in Charlotte who may be traveling at that time. We did this to show that we are mourning; that a man can be unarmed, barefoot, and still get shot at 12 times with no repercussions for the cop who is responsible for this. Pastor Dunlap, a respected pastor in Charlotte and who helped plan the demonstrations, said that this action was largely to help create a conversation in our communities.

I agree. It is easy to walk through life complacent and blind and/or numb to the chaos and injustice surrounding you. If we can help spark a dialogue that will lead to real change, we will have achieved a great deal.

Following the public funeral procession, a rally was held at Marshall Park where around 75 people, of all races/ethnic groups and backgrounds, attended. This rally was led by the amazingly passionate and inspiring local organizer, Danielle Hilton. Throughout, she gave facts that illustrate some of the problems we are facing. One of the most startling facts she gave, was that- in 6 cities, black men are more likely to die at the hands of police officers than they are to die in a car accident. That is ASTOUNDING.

Silka and Keytashia are both high school students who also spoke. Their message was very powerful, talking about their experiences in school and how their peers need to get involved. They wanted young people to know that they don’t need to wait around for leaders, they ARE the leaders.

Blanche was a speaker who said she has been a freedom fighter for decades. She had a stern message about us uniting to create real change. Her point was clear in that we can only win if we are a united front.

One of the most moving moments came from Paris Bey. Her cousin, Janisha Fonville, was killed by Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department Officer Anthony Holzhauer in February of 2015. Fonville was only 20 when she was killed. The police responded to a domestic situation but Bey pointed out that Fonville had an issue with self-harm, NOT harming others.  Fonville was small in stature and Bey thinks that the officer could have employed a variety of tactics to take her down instead of shooting her from several feet away.

Paris Bey spoke about how she is tired of having to come to rallies like this, although her cousin’s story is important. She is “pissed” about the lack of change in our society. It is important to note that Janisha’s killer has killed someone in Charlotte before, shooting a black man in the head only a few years ago. He has also had another shootout but no one died. He has discharged his service weapon on three different occasions in only five years. Allowing him to stay on the force is the lack of action and change Bey is alluding to. She also made a great point about the force not hiring scared cops. I believe this is a huge issue because cops like Holzhauer and Kerrick are clearly trigger-happy cowards and should never have been police officers to begin with.

A main theme for these actions was “Today We Mourn, Tomorrow We Organize.” Our community is sad. Plainly. Knowing the beautiful people taken away from us and seeing their families in person, as many of us have over these past few months, is heartbreaking. But we must also organize because we know that justice has not been served. We are still fighting to have some sort of justice for Janisha and Jonathan, but many others who have been killed in Charlotte and the state of NC will never, ever receive justice. We have to be strategic if we hope to see the change about which we have all been talking. It will not be easy, but I am confident in our community’s ability to come together and amplify the need for reform, and I believe that we will win!

 

I was born on January 13, 1990. I was born and raised in Charlotte, NC. I moved up north and attended the University of CT from 2008 to 2012. I currently also work at a law firm in Uptown Charlotte and have been helping with this organization entitled the National Independent Voter Coalition. My interests include: Politics (obviously), Basketball (playing and watching) and watching almost any sport, movies, reading, the law, human rights, entertainment, mostly Angelina Jolie and Beyonce. I am fun, caring, passionate, intelligent, and unique!