Black Lives Matter Protest at North School Park Arlington Heights, March Arrives on Eastman Street near Arlington Heights Road and near Evergreen Avenue.
Approximately 300 or more peaceful demonstrators marched from Cronin Park near South Middle School, north on Dunton Avenue and east on Eastman Street to North School Park on Thursday, June 4, 2020.
Upon arrival to North School Park, the protesters were chanting “What’s his name? George Floyd” and “What’s her name? Breonna Taylor” and “Get off my neck, I can’t breath” and “No peace, no justice.”
They chanted the names of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in honor of their victims — dead from police use of force.
Protesters marched from Cronin Park near South Middle School to North School Park, also chanting “Black Lives Matter” and “No Justice, No Peace.” Speakers then took turns on megaphones addressing the crowd of mostly white young adults and older teens. Females appeared to outnumber males.
Most protesters were college age and high school age. College age speakers used a megaphone to declare their messages. Two older adults also spoke. One of the speakers was Rolling Meadows High School English teacher Gabe Popovich, who is also a sponsor of the Social Justice Club at Rolling Meadows High School. He closed his speech with the words, “So, let’s have a revolution in the streets, but also a revolution in our consciousness.”
One of the organizers of the march thanked the authorities for being accommodating and not antagonistic. He went on to say there is a reason he sees mostly white people in this community, and there is a reason why people are excluded here, and there’s a reason why people don’t feel safe here. He said it involves 100 or more (?) years of design in the name of white supremacy. He instructed the crowd saying, “you need to do more, plain and simple; you need to dedicate what resources you have — because of your privilege — to black people and black peoples’ communities … they need to be protected, and you need to step back when they want to be heard.”
CNN’s Chris Cuomo: “Please show me where it says that protesters have to be polite and peaceful because I can show you that outraged citizens are the ones that have made America what she is.” [Warning video shows scene of retired St.Louis police captain David Dorn’s shooting]
One speaker scoffed at comments reported on the Neighbors app that their peaceful protest would lead to looting. The protest in Arlington Heights Thursday was peaceful and courteous.
A male black speaker at the protest mentioned he has been the subject of 20 traffic stops, while his white neighbor across the street in his 60s has been the subject of only three traffic stops.
Starting in 2004, Illinois law required all state and local police agencies to collect and report specific statistical data to the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) for compilation in a statewide Traffic Stop Study. The data is compiled annually by IDOT and reported to the Governor, General Assembly, the Racial Profiling Prevention and Data Oversight Board and each law enforcement agency. Data collected and submitted from the Arlington Heights Police Department’s 2017 traffic stops indicates that minority drivers are stopped less frequently than would be expected based on the IDOT estimated driving population. The Arlington Heights Police Department reported this in their annual report (SOURCE: Village of Arlington Heights Police Department Annual Report [PDF]).
Hundreds of protesters gathered in other suburbs, including Crystal Lake, Deerfield and Lake Forest on Thursday in solidarity with #BlackLivesMatter, #sayhisname, #sayhername connected to movements against police brutality and racial injustice stemming from the recent killing of Floyd, who died Monday May 25, 2020 after being held down by his neck under a Minneapolis police officer’s knee.
Black Lives Matter protesters take a knee in North School Park in Arlington Heights.
The protesters knelt in silence for 8 minutes and 46 seconds to pay respect to the memory of George Floyd. Police officer Derek Chauvin is now charged with second-degree murder (upped from third-degree murder), and three other officers who stood by and watched face charges of aiding and abetting murder.
The protesters also paid respect to black female, Breaonna Taylor, 26, who was shot and killed on March 13, 2020 by Louisville Metro Police Department officers when police executed a “no-knock” search warrant for illegal drugs at her Louisville, Kentucky residence. No drugs were found, and some claim the house targeted by police was the wrong house. There is a disagreement regarding who fired shots first, and Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer indefinitely suspended the use of “no knock” warrants after the fatal shooting.
Not all Americans agree with the current narrative supporting a ‘broken black culture’ with protests and violent looting. Nor do they agree on how to help black culture. Nor do they agree that George Floyd was a big-hearted guy who was trying to start a new life after spending time in prison in Texas. Many are in disagreement that his unjust death equates to justification of a national rage with incessant protesting and the looting of innocent people and businesses, and the resulting deaths of innocent people, including upstanding black citizens such as retired St.Louis police captain David Dorn.
Some believe the flames are fanned for George Floyd’s death because, as conservative commentator Candace Owens states, “this entire narrative is complete smoke and mirrors … election fodder, white vs black because it is an election year.”
On the same day as the Arlington Heights protest, Candace Owens spoke on Facebook Live about the George Floyd tragedy, beginning with a quote from black conservative author on race relations, multiculturalism, and affirmative action Shelby Steele. Candace Owens said the black community is the only community that caters to demand justice for people in their community that “are up to no good.” While she emphasized several times the need to punish “the devil that he is” — Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin — she said she finds it despicable that there is a narrative that turns criminals, such as George Floyd, into heroes overnight. She said nobody thinks Floyd should have died during his arrest, but that he doesn’t deserve the level of “uplifting” that is involved in the narrative surrounding his life and death.
Candace Owens then outlined George Floyd’s criminal history, beginning by pointing out that George Floyd was high on methamphetamine and fentanyl at the time of his arrest and death — discovered in two autopsy reports.
Controversial Candace Owens Video …
Owens said she researched George Floyd’s criminal history and discovered that in 1998 he spent 10 months in prison for theft with a firearm. In 2002 George Floyd spent 8 months in prison for a cocaine offense, and in 2004 he spent another 10 months for a cocaine offense. In 2005 George Floyd spent another 10 months in prison for a cocaine offense.
In 2007 Floyd was convicted after he was involved with a home invasion and aggravated robbery crew using a ruse as a water department worker coming to help a resident. A group of male offenders were involved with a scammer that arrived at a female victim’s door to her residence, claiming he worked for the water department. The female victim didn’t believe the offender, who was wearing a blue uniform. When she attempted to close her door, five additional offenders, including George Floyd, arrived in a black Ford Explorer. The crew of robbers forcibly entered the residence. The female victim, then pregnant, identified George Floyd as the tallest of the robbers, who pressed a pistol to her abdomen during the home invasion. Another offender struck the pregnant female victim in the head and side with his pistol after she screamed for help, and while George Floyd searched her residence for items to take from the home. George Floyd pleaded guilty to the crime with waiver of a jury trial.
On the day following her Facebook Live presentation on Thursday June 4, 2020, Candace Owens was accused of slandering George Floyd.
Black Lives Matter Protest at North School Park in Arlington Heights including speech from Rolling Meadows High School teacher Gabe Popovich.