Black Lives Matter rally in Bradenton recognizes Floyd verdict, calls for more reform

A jury on Tuesday, in the walls of the Hennepin County courthouse, found former police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of murder and manslaughter in the killing of George Floyd last May in Minneapolis, an event that shook the nation.

A crowd on Wednesday, at the steps of the Manatee County courthouse, gathered to recognize the verdict and what it might mean for the future of policing, as well as for other Black Americans killed or abused by law enforcement.

The Black Lives Matter Manasota Alliance co-hosted the demonstration with several other racial justice, civil rights and progressive political groups. More than 40 people showed up to hear speeches, poetry and prayers and take part in a candlelight vigil for racial justice.

Many faces among the group were the same ones who participated in or led last summer’s peaceful marches and demonstrations through the streets, squares and parks of Sarasota and Bradenton. And many of the voices were the same ones who called for justice for Floyd and hundreds of others.

Speakers shared feelings of disbelief, happiness and hope inspired by the verdict, as well as sadness for many lives that cannot be brought back.

“In addition to celebrating, we understand that this is not justice,” said Ruth Beltran with the Party for Socialism and Liberation. “We still have a long way to go. We will continue to fight until the war on Black America is stopped.”

Natasha Clemons, a Sarasota woman whose son Rodney Mitchell was killed by Sarasota County sheriff’s deputies during a traffic stop in 2012, wondered aloud how many times her family’s story will be repeated.

“I’m afraid for them,” Clemons said of her two young grandchildren, who attended the rally with her. “Who knows what’s going to happen to them? I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.”

Clemons wept openly at the gathering as demonstrators gathered around to comfort her. Alaina Martinez with the Leaders Rights Organization, a group formed in the wake of Floyd’s killing last summer, offered up a prayer.

“We have to realize that we have local Trayvon Martins, we have local Floyds who may not have died,” said Martinez, whose group runs a food charity program in Sarasota each week, in addition to raising awareness of social justice issues. “There are so many of these instances that go unreported, because we understand in the Black community that our complaints aren’t leaving that office. There’s no follow-through.”

Organizers noted the legal condemnation of Chauvin’s actions as an important moment of accountability. However, they said it was not a cause for celebration, but instead a call for continued action and reform to address racial injustice in the U.S.

“George Floyd should never have lost his life. It wasn’t a victory. It was accountability,” said Black Lives Matter organizer Sarah Parker. “Derek Chauvin is one of the many bad apples that have to come off the street before we can ever have faith in the criminal justice system.”

Parker noted that within the same hour that the Chauvin verdict was delivered, there was another name to add to the list. “Another Black girl was shot,” Parker said referencing a fatal use of force against 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant in Colombus, Ohio.

Demonstrators blast DeSantis protest bill

Several speakers also directed outrage at Gov. Ron DeSantis over his recent signing of an “anti-riot” bill. The new law provides harsher criminal penalties for people who take part in certain kinds of civil unrest, strips some legal protections and expands law enforcement powers.

But critics say the bill is too broad, vague and opens the door for non-violent protesters to be criminally charged for exercising their First Amendment rights.

Civil rights groups also claim the bill was unnecessary, as law enforcement already has tools to hold lawbreakers accountable. They have also noted that the vast majority of Florida’s racial justice marches last year were non-violent, as was the case nationally.

But DeSantis made the bill a top priority and signed it on Monday, the day before the Chauvin verdict, backed by an all-white group of law enforcement officials.

“We are not going to stop peacefully protesting,” Sarah Parker said. “We’re going to be in the streets. We’re not rioters. The wording of that bill is dangerous. He’s trying to silence people of color and marginalized communities. He’s not trying to listen to us. It’s anti-American and it’s unconstitutional,” Parker added.

“Another message for the governor is that we are not afraid,” said Beltran. “We will continue to fight racism. Even if we have to go to jail, you know what, to jail we go.

“We know that the intention of this anti-protest bill is to criminalize protesting. I hope that people outside of the Black community can realize that. Because this is infringing on their rights to peacefully protest as well,” Beltran said.

Beltran added that the bill is an empty measure that avoids issues that DeSantis and other lawmakers could be addressing instead.

“None of the things that [DeSantis] has done actually answer any of the problems that Floridians are having,” Beltran said. “We have a housing crisis right now. We have people who are unemployed. We have people that are actually starving. And he’s not looking to solve any of those problems.”

“He’s going to have a hard time getting votes out of Black people,” said local civil rights activist and former NAACP president Rodney Jones.

Calls for reform continue

The rally included representatives from a diverse number of groups, some of which hold differing opinions on how police reform should be addressed.

Above all though, speakers pushed the notion that reform and accountability need to continue in society and in people’s individual lives.

Eleuterio “Junior” Salazar Jr., a local activist and past political candidate, also called on Manatee County leaders to get more involved in racial justice issues.

“There are still families out here in this very county who are suffering because they’ve lost children,” Salazar said. “There are a ton of these things going on in our own backyard.”

“We’ve got a long way to go,” Jones said. “We’ve been doing this for 400 years. It’s just a different system and a different day. Thanks to all of you for standing up. ... “It’s not just for Black people, it’s for everybody.”

Deedra Zee, another Black Lives Matter organizer, cited examples of every day actions that people can take, like sticking up for minority co-workers who are discriminated against on the job or stopping to lawfully observe if a Black person has been stopped by police.

“It’s got to be a lifestyle,” Zee said. “You have to be intentional. We saw what waking up the world with George Floyd did, when we were intentional.”

Others called for drastic changes to how communities are policed, such as making traffic stops gun-less.

Martinez with the Leaders Rights Organization encouraged community members to communicate and collaborate.

“This time has allowed us to see all our strengths, as one,” Martinez said.

In an interview with the Bradenton Herald earlier Wednesday, Bradenton City Councilwoman Pamela Coachman, the only Black representative on the council, echoed some of the sentiments shared by demonstrators on the courthouse steps.

“It’s not making us do cartwheels,” Coachman said of the verdict, “but it is a step. I want to think it’s going to be a positive baby step.“

“There are police officers that are bad characters but there are a ton of them that aren’t. There were officers who testified against this bad character and I hope this helps us build relationships with the good guys,” Coachman said.

Coachman also recognized the ongoing nature of the problem.

“As the verdict was being given, another young person lost her life,” Coachman added, referencing Ma’Khia Bryant. “At least we can say we won this scrimmage.”

Staff writer Ryan Callihan contributed to this report.

This story was originally published April 22, 2021 at 6:10 AM.