KALAMAZOO, MI – Kalamazoo activists are calling for city officials to be held accountable on issues like police brutality, homelessness and food inequity, arguing that “silence isn’t enough” when it comes to enacting change within the community.
Organizers from the grassroots organization Uplift Kalamazoo held a downtown protest Saturday, June 5, in front of the Kalamazoo County Courthouse, where activists spoke out about the problems that need to be addressed within the city.
The protest was organized in response to a silent memorial held in honor of George Floyd last week, which organizers said didn’t do enough to address racial disparities in the city.
RELATED: Hundreds gather for 9 minutes, 29 seconds of silence in Kalamazoo to remember George Floyd
“We don’t have time for moments with silence,” said the protest’s organizer, who goes by “King Ryan” but declined to identify himself to MLive. “It sounds good, it sounds noble, but we don’t have time for that when people are out here hungry and scared. When you’re Black, even when you lock your door at night, you’re still scared. That doesn’t alleviate anything for us.”
The protest had about 40 people in attendance, who were mostly members of Uplift Kalamazoo and participating community groups Food Not Bombs and Revolutionary People’s League (RPL).
RPL leader Luzon Amaru, who spoke during the protest, urged Saturday’s protesters to get involved with local grassroots organizations that actively work to do good in the community.
Amaru, 20, said silence on issues like police brutality and homelessness is “harmful” to Kalamazoo.
“It’s time for us to do more than look, more than listen, and even more than learn,” Amaru said. “We have to start practicing by actively engaging in political struggle that can take the form of anything from talking with and informing your community that joining an organization yourself.”
Amaru said Saturday’s protest was organized to be “the antithesis” of last week’s silent memorial of Floyd, a Black man killed by now-former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. About 250 people attended the memorial on May 25, the one-year anniversary of Floyd’s death.
“We believe there’s nothing we have to be silent about,” he said. “We need to be loud, more than ever, and speak up on these issues to actually achieve the change we’re looking for in this city.”
Several speakers called out Mayor David Anderson, who was in attendance, and said the mayor isn’t doing enough to help people in the city.
“We hate that we have to hold people like this man (Anderson) accountable for the things that we think are second nature to them, because we prioritize humanity over money, over buildings and over profit,” King Ryan said. “I don’t need (the mayor) to show up to a protest, I need (him) to do (his) job.”
Anderson, who recently announced his plans to run for reelection in Novembver, said he attended Saturday’s protest to show his support for community activists. He acknowledged the frustration of some residents who may feel like there hasn’t been any significant change since the Floyd’s death a year ago.
“A lot of institutions, including the city, are trying to make efforts to respond to that,” Anderson said. “It’s a work in progress, and I’m sure it feels frustratingly slow to a lot of folks.”
More on MLive:
A year after George Floyd protests began, police reforms elusive in Michigan
George Floyd remembered across Michigan on anniversary of his killing
Activists march to Grand Rapids police headquarters in rally seeking police ‘defunding’
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