While violence is counterproductive, it is “necessary” during the riots currently plaguing US cities, because people of color are fed up with stigma and racial bias, Black Lives Matter (BLM) activists told Ruptly video agency.
“I just want to be able to walk around every day and not feel like I’m going to get shot, just because I’m black,” BLM protester Aryana Evan told Ruptly in the middle of large rallies blighting in the US capital for several days in a row.
“I am tired,” Evan said, nearly bursting into tears. “All these black people, all these allies out here, all of these different faces, we are all tired. We are all extremely tired of racism and the injustice.”
As she spoke, a large crowd of demonstrators occupied grounds outside the White House in Washington DC, chanting “Don’t shoot!” – a reference to the pleas of black Minneapolis man George Floyd, who died following a brutal police arrest last week. Other locations across the city have seen acts of looting and robberies overnight.
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Calling it “counterproductive at this moment,” Evan said there is still a justification under the circumstances, apparently referring to bitter memories of colonialism and slavery.
Jerry Dodge, also a BLM activist, said he wants President Donald Trump – “a privileged kid” – to feel “what I am feeling.” He then expressed hope for a new leader “that does something about this.”
As the unrest loomed larger in the DC area, the National Guard has been activated to assist local police handling protests around the White House and across the capital city. On Sunday, a citywide curfew order was also issued following nights of destruction.
For Ali Mabizadah, another man demonstrating, the curfew was “the whole point just to stop people protesting.” The authorities, he insisted, “are trying to use all these f**king techniques to stop everyone doing what the hell they want to do.”
Outrage over racial tensions and the wider anti-establishment sentiment seem to be at the heart of the ongoing nationwide unrest, along with demands that justice be served in Floyd’s alleged murder, and the officers involved be held accountable.
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