LOS ANGELES (CN) — Black church leaders in Los Angeles marched to LAPD headquarters Tuesday in a sign of unity with the community after several days of unrest across the nation and a day after peaceful protesters and clergy members were tear-gassed outside the White House.
Racial tensions have flared nationwide as police take to the streets in riot gear while many protesters carry signs with George Floyd’s face — a name that has become synonymous with police brutality and racial injustice.
Floyd was killed on Memorial Day by a white Minneapolis police officer who pinned Floyd to the ground with a knee to the back of his neck until the man died. Video footage of the incident death sparked outrage at police, but also renewed criticism of militarized police departments across the country.
On Tuesday, Pastor Thembekila Coleman-Smart of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference asked a crowd in downtown LA, “Did you hear George Floyd call for his mother? I am his mother. I am his daughter. Vengeance is mine sayeth the lord. I am here on behalf of his mom whose name he cried out in his last breath.
“I can breathe, and I will speak, and I will stand and I will bleed the blood of Jesus until racism comes down,” said Coleman-Smart as she pulled down a face mask.
Hundreds of protesters outside police headquarters asked officers to join them as they took a knee in the street. Some officers kneeled with the crowd while others watched from behind safety barricades.
A young woman gave officers hugs and thanked them for showing support.
In an interview, the young woman who declined to share her name said the gesture from police was inspiring for her.
“The officers responsible [for Floyd’s murder] should be held accountable,” the woman said. “But I think it’s a symbol of hope for everyone to see cops recognize what happened wasn’t OK and to take a kneel with us in solidarity.”
LAPD Sgt. Anthony Tate was one of the officers who kneeled.
“We’re standing in solidarity with the community,” said Tate. “It’s only the way we’re going to be able to police the community in peace.”
When asked about the aggressive response by police against other protesters across the city, Tate said, “You get provocateurs who come into the peaceful protest. As much as possible we try to weed them out.”
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Hundreds of protesters rally outside Los Angeles City Hall Tuesday, June 2, 2020 as city officials call for a third day of curfews amid rising tensions between citizens and police. (Courthouse News photo / Nathan Solis) -
Hundreds of attendees of an anti-police violence march organized by Southern California black clergy kneel in protest outside Los Angeles Police Department headquarters Tuesday, June 2, 2020. (Courthouse News photo / Martin Macias, Jr.) -
Pastor Thembekila Coleman-Smart of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference speaks at a rally in the Little Tokyo neighborhood of Los Angeles on Tuesday, June 2, 2020 ahead of a march to LA Police Department headquarters to protest police violence. (Courthouse News photo / Martin Macias, Jr.) -
Faith leaders rallied hundreds in downtown Los Angeles for a protest after nearly a week of looting and protests over the death of George Floyd. (Courthouse News photo / Nathan Solis)
Noelle Wigans of Loveland Church drove in from the Inland Empire east of LA to participate in the demonstration.
“I’m here because it’s sad that we’ve allowed this to prevail for so long,” Wigans said. “Those of us who are African-American carry that weight with us on a daily basis. We know we’re not accepted. We know we’re not respected. It’s the culture of the country.”
Wigans said she was inspired to see the multiracial, multigenerational crowd participating in the action and noted the relaxed approach to protesters by police early in the event.
“Who’s organizing the events may make a difference,” Wigans said. “These are pastors and they gave this a little more space versus what’s been happening elsewhere.”
The energy of the protest shifted dramatically when LA Mayor Eric Garcetti arrived at the rally outside LAPD headquarters.
Over the weekend Garcetti requested the California National Guard after looting spilled out across multiple neighborhoods.
On Tuesday, surrounded by black faith leaders and protestors, Garcetti’s message of unity was drowned out by chants of “Black Lives Matter here,” “fire Chief Michel Moore” and “defund the police.”
Moore faces mounting calls to resign or be fired after suggesting at a Monday press conference that Floyd’s blood is just as much on the hands of protesters as the officer who killed him.
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