Faces have been blacked out in order to protect the identities of protesters.
by Jacob Anderson-Kester
CW: Police Violence
Protesters in Olympia have been organizing and responding to the broader national concern towards police brutality and discrimination against Black people and people of color.
The protests come in light of the murder of George Floyd. Floyd was a 46-year-old black man who, according to a complaint to the Minnesota Fourth District Court and recordings of the scene, died after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck. Security camera footage from a nearby business did not show Floyd resisting.
On the afternoon of June 1, protesters gathered at the parking lot at Capital Mall. A source who prefers to go by the name Heather talked to us about the event. They told us that the protest was broadly peaceful. Later that day, a portion of that group of protesters made their way downtown and gathered around city hall, joining with other smaller protesting groups. By 7 p.m., mayor of Olympia Cheryl Selby came down to the crowd and apologized for not being responsible, getting on her knees and crying. Mayor Selby invited the police who had gathered around the protestors to take a knee in solidarity. The police laughed in response, though a couple obliged.
By the end of the night, the situation between the police and protesters began to escalate. The police announced on a loudspeaker that anyone who did not leave would be charged and arrested. Those who chose to remain were tear-gassed, and several people were arrested.
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The next day, people gathered by the hundreds in downtown Olympia. This rally, entitled “A Change Has Gotta Come,” was organized by the Washington Community Action Network and the Olympia branch of Showing Up For Racial Justice.
At roughly 4 p.m. people began arriving downtown. After first gathering on both sides of Heritage Park and holding signs to passing traffic, people rallied around a central speaking circle and shut down traffic on 4th Avenue. Speakers conveyed frustration about the state of injustice towards Black and Brown people and the continual cycle of police brutality. One speaker said, “ … this moment is not unique, and complacency is why we’re here.” The rally centered black and indigenous voices, and platformed speakers most immediately affected by violence from the system. A theme that ran throughout is the intersectional approach required for uplifting all people who are being put down by systemic oppression—Native song and ceremony were a large part of the rally, and those of all different identities were given a chance to speak.
Speakers stressed how systemic injustice reaches every community across the nation, including Olympia. To that point, the family of Yvonne McDonald was given the chance to speak. Yvonne McDonald was a woman who, according to reports by the City of Olympia, was found dying on the side of Division Street in Aug. 2018. The coroner’s office listed her cause of death as blunt force trauma to the abdomen, yet the Olympia Police Department has listed her cause of death as undetermined and has yet to take any action to investigate her death. McDonald’s family expressed anger about the lack of action on the part of the city and questioned the city’s reasons for inaction. They encouraged people to show up to a hearing at the Chehalis County Courthouse on June 12 at 9 a.m., where the family is litigating to release records being held and more actively investigate what happened on the day of McDonald’s death.
Speakers also spoke more broadly about the racism that perpetuates these kinds of events. One speaker stressed the importance of not remaining silent about racism and encouraged everyone to continue to speak up, show up to events, and take action. Another speaker asked the audience “ … will you still stand for Black lives when it isn’t popularized?”
The rally may have concluded a little after 6 p.m., but the language of the rally made it clear that this is only the beginning of Olympia’s response to the murder of George Floyd. Speakers indicated that there would be daily action until change comes. As someone told me at the rally, “ … we’re not trying to start a race war, we’re trying to end one.”
