URBANA — Community members filled the parking lot of Lincoln Square Mall on Saturday, some with American flags, others dressed in shirts that read “Back the Blue,” and about half wearing masks as the sun beat down on the blacktop.
“We’ve got media here,” radio host Diane Ducey said over a microphone as she stood on a podium in the corner, “so you want to make sure you’ve got CDC protocol you’re following. That makes us all look good.”
The crowd swelled to several hundred people, enough to snap up the supply of signs that read “Champaign County Supports Our Police,” the name given to the rally.
Patriotic music blared, the Pledge of Allegiance was read and attendees bowed their heads in prayer in between speakers who disavowed what they’ve seen as the vilification of police in protests and riots since the May 25 death of George Floyd at in Minneapolis.
“I’m just really sickened by what’s going on in our country right now,” said Tim Voges, a former captain in the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office, who organized the event along with Champaign County Board member Jon Rector. “It was a dual message today that Champaign County supports our police, and God bless America.”
“You either love our country or you don’t. If you don’t love it, there’s nothing I can do about it,” he said. “It’s the best country in the world.”
In the weeks after Mr. Floyd’s death, a diverse group of thousands of community members marched in peaceful protests through downtown Urbana and across Champaign to decry police brutality and systemic racism. Both cities’ police chiefs attended the rallies, and both knelt in solidarity with the protesters. Both cities’ mayors attended those rallies, and both were at Saturday’s, as well.
The speakers at Saturday’s rally focused on protests like the one Aug. 12, when members of the Champaign County Anti-Racist Coalition wrote messages on the building, sign and sidewalks at Champaign Police Department headquarters, along with vitriol toward police and looting in Champaign and larger cities.
“I just wanted to show love to the officers and their families,” Rector said after the rally. “There’s been a lot of negative stuff out there. I just wanted to show something positive, show a little bit of love, show support.
“These are super tough times on everybody. Obviously, I respect both sides. Everybody’s got the right to go out and talk and share and gather together like we did. I understand both sides need to do that. I also understand that we need to bring people together and let everybody know that we need to do that.
“It’s tough being a police officer. Tough. I had a son that went to Iraq and Afghanistan. As a parent, you worry. As a spouse of a police officer during these times, or that being your son or daughter, it’s like, that’s a lot of pressure. It’s on their families or friends. It’s on their loved ones.”
Among a wide array of demands, protesters have called for the prosecution of police who kill civilians, an increased emphasis on de-escalation tactics, and partially defunding or abolishing police departments and directing those funds to other public-safety and community-building initiatives.
Voges said the souring sentiment toward police as protests swept the country, from both public officials and civilians, didn’t sit right with him. While he said he supported the peaceful protests following Mr. Floyd’s murder, he doesn’t understand the specific requests of anti- police demonstrations.
“The violence against police, the lack of support from prosecutors, where the police are going out and doing their jobs, they’re following the laws, they’re making arrests for violations, and prosecutors are undermining what they’re doing,” Voges said. “I’m not saying in this area, but we don’t want to happen in our community what’s happening in bigger cities, where they’re just rioting and it’s complete lawlessness.
“I support the protests 100 percent. I agree that there needs to be changes in law enforcement. I don’t agree with the violence. I think they lose the message. I know people don’t like hearing it, Black lives matter, but all lives matter. For some reason, that’s divisive to say that. I think my life and Jon Rector’s life are as important as anyone else’s.”
Matt Stuckey, who runs the “Back the Blue Champaign County” Facebook page, told the hundreds of people in the crowd, almost all of whom were White, to turn and look at those around them.
“Look at how many people are here,” he said. “And for the men and women in blue that are here, I want you to take a good look. The thing that has been said around all of these protests is, ‘This is what community looks like.’
“Well, I want you to know, this is what community looks like. We’ll have your back, no matter what.”
Former Champaign Police Officer Mark Briggs closed out the rally by leading the crowd in a “Back the Blue” chant. In his mind, an event like Saturday’s was a sign that public sentiment isn’t what it’s seemed to be for the last few months.
“There are a lot of people in our community who have been silent about their feelings about the mistreatment of police, and it takes guts and courage to come out here like all of you have done and take a stand for what’s right,” Briggs said. “These have been very difficult times for all of us in the community. There’s no question about it.
“You look at what’s going on in these larger cities with these so-called leaders of government. Do you feel me? I have a message for those leaders of government, so listen closely: We are the voice of the people. Your job is to serve us, not the other way around.
“If you were sworn into your position in your office, there were going to be difficult decisions that had to be made. None of those included you taking a knee and villainizing police and coddling criminals. If that’s the position you’re going to take, I hope you enjoy it, because you’re on your way out. The silent majority are silent no more.”
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Hundreds gather at Lincoln Square Mall to support police - Champaign/Urbana News-Gazette
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