Faith leaders from several congregations marched in silence Tuesday in St. Paul as a way to reflect the “beloved community” and the social justice action of the civil rights era in the United States.
A corresponding march was also held in South Minneapolis, along 38th Street to Chicago Avenue, where George Floyd died May 25 after being pinned facedown by three Minneapolis police officers for nearly nine minutes, despite his pleas to stop and that he couldn’t breathe.
Led by local black clergy, marchers in St. Paul met at Gordon Parks High School at Griggs Street and walked in the middle of a temporarily closed University Avenue. It ended a few blocks away at the boarded-up Super Target, which became the epicenter of protesting, rioting and looting last week in St. Paul following Floyd’s death.
“We know we are all hurting, and we all want justice,” said Stacey L. Smith, pastor and presiding elder of St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church — a 130-year-old historically black church in St. Paul’s Old Rondo neighborhood. “And that’s what today is about. We pray that it is healing that will begin today. We’re going to decree and declare today.”
St. Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell and St. Paul Fire Chief Butch Inks walked alongside clergy members during the march, which was one of several peaceful protests held throughout the Twin Cities on Tuesday.
At the state Capitol, a crowd estimated at up to 3,000 people gathered on the front lawn and steps for a sit-in organized by a dozen high school students from around the metro area.
Also Tuesday afternoon, several hundred protesters — some of whom migrated over from the Capitol — held a “speak-out” on Kellogg Boulevard in front of St. Paul City Hall and the Ramsey County Courthouse.
Speakers included civil rights attorney Nekima Levy-Armstrong and relatives of Marcus Golden, who was killed in an encounter with St. Paul police in 2015, and Brian Quinones, who was killed by Richfield police following a police chase in 2019.
Golden’s aunt, Monique Cullars-Doty, said he would have turned 30 years old on Tuesday. She read the names of individuals killed in encounters with St. Paul police. Protesters yelled the names back.
Cullars-Doty said she doesn’t want to see St. Paul police officers taking a knee for a “photo-op,” referring to a picture the department shared on its Facebook page Monday of officers on one knee during a peaceful protest in front of the Minnesota Governor’s Residence.
‘OUR EYES ARE OPEN’
On University Avenue, Axtell said now is a “pivotal moment for policing in America.”
“We have to start connecting at much higher levels with our community,” he said. “We have a strong history in the St. Paul Police Department of doing that and this is an opportunity to continue to do that — build more relationships and really show the community that our eyes are open, our ears are open and most importantly our hearts are open to brighter and better days.”
The walk passed several former businesses that are now rubble from Thursday night’s arson fires.
A COLLECTIVE STATEMENT
Outside the Target store, the Rev. James Thomas of Mount Olivet Baptist Church in the Old Rondo neighborhood told those gathered that the silent march was “our link to the historical lynching of African-American men. But this time, instead of a rope and a tree, we witnessed a police officer use his knee while a black man laid in the gutter.”
As a collective body, he said, the clergy has “publicly held our peace.”
“But we have something to say,” he said. “Our silent march is our collective statement that we recognize the pain and suffering in our cities. Our silent march is our weakness that for several days our best cells became our worst cells. Our silent march is a protest against the violence, the looting and aggressive policing. In other words, all violence must end.”
The silent march is a “trumpet call that justice must roll down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty steam,” he continued. “Do not be deceived — our silence is not that of the meek and the weak. Our march was held in silence to demonstrate that we are determined that change must happen and that justice must be done.”
Frederick Melo contributed to this report.
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