One of the largest protests ever held in Providence happened Friday
“We need to change the Police Bill of Rights! We need to change the Police Bill of Rights because it is oppressive to people all over the nation. I am a tax paying citizen. My question is: Why aren’t you protecting me?“
On
Friday at least 10,000 people marched from Central High School and Kennedy
Plaza to the Rhode Island State House in a youth led march staged in response
to police and state violence against Black lives.
It may have been the largest social justice march in Rhode Island history, and was easily the largest such event in recent Rhode Island history.
It may have been the largest social justice march in Rhode Island history, and was easily the largest such event in recent Rhode Island history.
The
protest was met with extreme policing. National Guard soldiers, armed with
automatic weapons, fortified the Providence Place Mall and other locations
downtown. Shopkeepers boarded up windows.
Helicopters surveilled the crowd from overhead, barricades were erected, emergency text messages were sent to phones. When the protesters arrived at the State House, they were denied access to all but the lowest level of the stairs.
Helicopters surveilled the crowd from overhead, barricades were erected, emergency text messages were sent to phones. When the protesters arrived at the State House, they were denied access to all but the lowest level of the stairs.
It
was ironic, I suppose, that a peaceful rally to protest the over policing of
Black bodies was met with over policing.
This
was a youth led protest, and the youth who organized it, under the group
name Step Up RI, had a speaking program. As much video as I
could capture is available HERE.
Steve Ahlquist is
a frontline reporter in Rhode Island. He has covered human rights, social
justice, progressive politics and environmental news for half a decade. Uprise
RI is his new project, and he's doing all he can to make it essential reading.
atomicsteve@gmail.com
Can we please ask a favor?
Funding
for UpriseRI.com reporting relies entirely on the generosity of readers like
you. Our independence is how we are able to write stories that hold RI state
and local government officials accountable. All of our stories are free and
available to everyone right here at UpriseRI.com. But your support is essential
to keeping Steve on the beat, covering the costs of reporting many stories in a
single day. If you are able to, please support Uprise RI. Every contribution, big or
small is so valuable to us. You provide the motivation and financial support to
keep doing what we do. Thank you.
