A Greenville community activist said she would not pay a $ 465 fine issued after no one removed a “Stop the police killings” poster from a Confederate monument.
The poster was part of the background during Saturday’s anti-hate demonstration near the corner of North Main and Elford Streets.
Greenville was one of more than 60 cities across the country that celebrated “National Day of Action! National Protest Day: CONNECT WHAT IT IS, HATE CRIMES! ” demonstration.
More than 30 people gathered at the statue of the Confederate soldier in downtown Greenville to “End white supremacy / hatred, end violence against blacks, Asians and Pacific Islanders, Latinx, LGBTQA, women and China-Bashing!”
The event was to show that Malcolm X Center for Human Rights, Upstate Black Lives Matter, SC Stolen Lives Project / Coalition October 22, Upstate AAPI and others are in solidarity with victims of hatred and violence in the United States, a statement said. .
The Greenville event was coming to an end when the police removed the poster “Prevent murder by the police”.
Efia Nwaganza of MALCOLM X CENTER WMXP-Radio 95.5 was cited for a picket violation, the traffic ticket said. The ticket was put in her purse by a police officer because she refused to accept it, said Nwaganza.
At the beginning of the demonstration, which included speakers, songs, songs and poetry readings, two policemen came and said that the signs should be removed by municipal decree.
Other signs have been removed. The Stop Murder by Police poster remained.
“One of the things that always impresses me about law enforcement in the state of South Carolina, in particular, is the value they place on the Confederacy and Confederate monuments,” said Nwaganza. “Here, this man is wasting my tax dollars by demanding that a sign that says ‘Stop the murder by the police’ be removed from the institution that was designed to keep these people and their ancestors enslaved.”
Prayer for hatred and violence to stop
As the event progressed, Rev. Gail C. Rollerson prayed that “we would consider others”, that hatred and violence would stop, that there would be a cure in law enforcement, the judiciary, and legislation. “
She also prayed that God’s will be done “in our lives and that we do what the Lord says, because the greatest weapon is that we have love for one another.”
Tikeeta Wallace, a Greenville community activist / organizer, fed the crowd first by singing “Fill my glass, Lord.”
Then she told the crowd that “it is our civic duty to stand up against oppression”. She encouraged them to get involved in the community and the political arena around them.
“In today’s world, we are told that we must listen to those in power, but those we put in power should be listening to us,” she said. “We put these people in power so they can make changes for us, not for themselves.”
Wallace said she was told a long time ago that she couldn’t make a change in her community because she had no education, no one would speak to her because she had a low-paying job and she lived in a low-income region. income housing.
“If I had listened to these people, I wouldn’t be here today,” she said. “We need to make changes not just for ourselves, but for our children.”
“We are the ones who protect the next generation, the mothers of the world, and we suffer a lot and suffer more than anyone,” she said.
“We suffer seeing our elderly people being mistreated and lost because of gentrification. People in low-income homes, we deal with police officers who pass through our neighborhood and we can’t even sit on our own porch with our kids without someone accusing us or assuming we’re doing something wrong.
“We need to change that,” said Wallace. “Change is for us, but to achieve it, we must make it.”
‘White supremacy is the virus’
Community organizer Helen Loiaza said of the pandemic, initially in China, that there was no concern for the safety of the people there.
“All we saw was an attack on Chinese and Asians in general,” she said. “The only way to stop the spread of a pandemic that has caused so much suffering is to work together.
“White supremacy continues to spread,” she said. “White supremacy is the virus.”
Amanda Manly of Safe Harbor, a domestic violence agency in Upstate, said before the demonstration that the agency is working for a community where everyone is safe and valued.
“We know that historically marginalized communities, whether they are black, indigenous, people of color, people from the LGBTQ-plus community, are disproportionately affected by domestic violence,” she said. “Safe Harbor is working to become an anti-racist organization so that we can better help communities that are really suffering from the domestic violence epidemic.”
The names of the eight people killed by a sniper in spas in the Atlanta area, along with people killed by police officers, were read and honored during the event.
‘It’s an outrage’
The group also raised funds to pay for the impending ticket due to the poster hanging on the statue.
After the card was removed, Nwaganza said the money will be used to buy another card. “I will go to jail before I give them a penny,” she said.
“I am irritated that they value, protect and celebrate the symbol of hatred and violence in US history, in the Confederation that sought to overthrow the government,” she said. “They (the city) spent all that money here to put flowers and banks. It’s an outrage. Not only are there bad priorities, they are racist, violating and disrespectful priorities of the city, county and state that they would take money from our taxpayer, which includes blacks, and use that money to celebrate the institution that sought to enslave our ancestors and , at this point, they enslave us through mass incarceration. ”