No police in sight at Lafayette Square, and few anywhere else
Ryelee James, 28, had driven from Pittsburgh to Washington on Saturday to join the protests. He took a pit stop in Baltimore, protested for a bit there, and at 1:45 p.m. found himself on Pennsylvania Avenue in the nation’s capital in the middle of the Party of Socialism and Liberation march.He said he did not know much about MPD but that corruption in police departments was much the same everywhere.
The masses overflowed at least two blocks in every direction. Shoulders of strangers were inches apart.Parents gripped their children’s hands, trying not to lose them in the flow of people. People dipped washcloths in buckets of ice holding free bottles of water, then doused their heads.
“Look how many people came out,” an organizer commanded as hundreds paused to kneel in the middle of 19 and H streets. In the distance, they could hear the chants of the end of the parade coming down the street.Black Lawyers Matter coalition gathers near Capitol Metro spokesman Dan Stessel said Metrobus is also adding buses to busier routes, which are being actively monitored to limit the number of people onboard because of the risk of spreading the coronavirus. The agency Fridaythat had been closed to create a buffer between riders and train operators because of the virus.
The D.C. National Guard on Saturday confirmed it is investigating whether it was appropriate to use one of its helicopters on Monday in support of law enforcement on the ground near Lafayette Square. It is unclear when the investigation’s findings will be made public. The Guard said the investigation will be forwarded to the secretary of the Army and defense secretary after completion.When Chris Savage, 64, and his wife arrived in downtown Washington about noon Saturday, there were plenty of protests they could choose from.
“Today is not about fighting people like me,” Legend said he responded. “I’m here to support. We’re here to unite people.” Before a crowd of more than 1,000 people at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, a 20-year-old man recited into a megaphone: “I wonder how Trayvon Martin’s mother feels that her son’s a household name and not a household body,” said Alex Jalloh, 20, of Virginia. “I’m tired. I’m tired of going to funerals where babies are being buried in boxes smaller than the ones they used to put their toys in.”
Then another speaker began to sing the words to “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Those in the crowd who knew the words joined while others hummed along.Facing the rising sun of our new day begunDemonstrators merge at the Capitol: ‘We want change! We are the future!' Another group of older protesters from a faith group crossed the plaza, heading to another protest downtown.
Later, he told The Washington Post that the protests need help: data analysis, legislation and voting. Siblings Jason and Sarah Jones, who are black, were joining the demonstrations for the first time Saturday, after a week of finding it hard to focus at their jobs. Sarah, who teaches a “dialogue across difference” class at American University, felt relieved to finally be a part of the uprising — and wary of how long it would last.
Sold by a loose-knit group of D.C. entrepreneurs, the shirts were designed almost instantly when Floyd died. Some have bought as many as a dozen shirts to send to relatives, and the vendors are grateful. Even amid the pain, Proctor said, the reality is that the protests have provided his T-shirt business with an opportunity that the coronavirus had taken away. Typically, the vendors would be traveling across the country selling all sorts of shirts at festivals and other events — but the pandemic ended that until Floyd’s death.
“As a basketball coach, I really don’t make a lot of money,” Bullock said. “I feel good about it because white America capitalizes on all of us, and I’m contributing to the cause.” Police lights flashed at intersections, with military trucks blocking Pennsylvania Avenue west toward the White House. Folding tables were set up, with cases of water on them. People jogged along the Mall and did jumping jacks in front of the National Gallery.
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