‘I want to live’: Protest packs state house lawn
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Montpelier, VT (WPTZ) — In Vermont’s capital city, a few thousand demonstrators packed the state house lawn Sunday afternoon demanding an end to police brutality.
“Racism is bigger than my concerns for COVID-19 at this point,” said Evy Gray.
It’s been nearly two weeks since the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man in Minneapolis who was killed in police custody. Video of the incident sparked nationwide outrage and protests in all 50 states.
Organizers in Vermont demanded an end to police brutality as well as a civilian board to investigate all instances of police use of force over the past 10 years.
An extended moment of silence lasted some eight minutes, symbolizing the amount of time the office knelt on Floyd’s neck leading to his death.
During that time, Chris Baning hugged his wife. He was wearing a Colin Kaepernick jersey. The NFL quarterback has not been signed to a team after backlash related to his kneeling protests during the national anthem before games.
“There’s a lot of stuff happening in the country and we’re just trying to make sure it doesn’t happen in Vermont,” Baning said.
Katrina Pelkey, who attended the March on Washington in 1963, came to the event with her husband.
“It’s to sad that — in many respects — thing’s haven’t changed,” she said.
Protesting in the age of COVID-19
Demonstrators said Sunday that the fight against racial injustice and the call for policy reform can’t wait, even during the pandemic.
“There’s no buffer area between the pandemic and when we can solve racism; has to happen now,” said Kai Gilbert.
Organizers recognized the need to keep people safe from COVID-19 so they put up a tent with on-site nurses who gave out masks, hand sanitizer and water, all provided by community members.
On Friday, at the governor’s thrice-weekly update on the coronavirus in Vermont, Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine said the protests raise a public health concern.
“Get yourself tested,” he said. “It’s important for your own health. It’s important for your family’s health. It may be important for another Vermonter’s health that you interact with in the near future.”
The state is offering a number of pop-up testing sites. More information is available at the health department’s website.
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