A peaceful rally, later a clash
Marchers demand justice for Wright; Pepper spray used at police station standoff
Two scenarios played out on Albany’s streets Wednesday evening — a peaceful rally in the park to protest a police killing in Minnesota, and later a clash between officers and some of the same protesters at the city’s South Station.
The rally was organized for Townsend Park to protest police brutality and the killing of Daunte Wright, a Minnesota man gunned down this month by a police officer. At least 50 people attended the demonstration.
The protesters, who wore shirts that read “BLM” and carried signs that demanded “Justice for Daunte,” had begun their march around 4 p.m., traveling peacefully as a group through Albany’s streets, chanting and playing music. They knelt on corner streets — stopping traffic in the process — and held moments of silence for victims of police brutality, raising their fists.
“We’re tired, and we’re exhausted. But we’re going to continue to be out here, making our voices heard,” said Legacy Casanova, the organizer of Wednesday’s protest and march.
Surrounding Casanova were others still tired and traumatized by last year’s anti-racism protests.
“It’s triggering, seeing all this repeat,” said Star Mizzero, 29, as she looked at the protesters, masked and kneeling on the ground, screaming “Black Lives Matter!” until it was time to get up and continue marching. She had seen it all before: the tears streaming, the feet stomping, the voices shouting, all in unison, all becoming familiar with the mourning of another Black man killed by police.
“Why are you here right now?” Lukee Forbes, a community leader, asked the crowd, rallying them as they marched.
And each person had their reasons.
For Tasheca Medina, it was about “getting the respect that Black people deserve.”
For Malik Browning, speaking as he marched, it was because it felt like “another Black man dies every day” — and because of the racism he experienced as a Black man while trying to earn a degree in computer science.
For Kasey Charles, 25, it was because he cried when he read the news of Wright’s death.
“People think we like protesting,” he said. “The truth is, we just want police to stop killing us.”
As the protesters marched, two men clad in camouflage, including Andre Simmons, made sure police and vehicles let the protesters through.
On Monday, he had read Wright’s age before his death; he was 20-years-old, just like Wright, both not even old enough to have a beer.
“Now he’s dead, and instead of working, I’m here, protecting my people any way I can,” Simmons said.
Beside him was Angela Castrillos, 24, chanting, “No justice, no peace!”
She had seen the news on her phone, felt a stinging sensation and looked for protests taking place in the area.
“I wish more Latinos were out here, being better allies,” she said. “We need to interlock more, as a community.”
Protesters arrived at the South Station around 6 p.m., and the clash of some of them with police occurred about 15 minutes later. Some demonstrators walked up to the officers guarding the station and shouted at them. At one point a window in the station was broken.
An officer appeared to push at the megaphone of one of the protesters, sending the protester to the ground. After that, another protester climbed over the short fence around the entrance, and an officer pepper-sprayed him in the face, while at least two other officers began to push other protesters away from the entrance, sending them to the ground.
Pepper spray continued to be used on protesters as they continued to approach police at the entrance. There were around 10 people being treated by fellow protesters for injuries caused by the spray. One of those peppersprayed was a 14-year-old girl.
As the scene on Wednesday settled down, Mizzero scrubbed her eyes, which were burning from the pepper spray. Now her tears were mixing with the chemicals burning her face.
This was her third protest this week. She had a couple more lined up before Saturday, but she had taken part in dozens last summer.
Mizzero had been with her partner, watching a TV show, when she read about
Jamaica Miles, founder of All of Us Community Action Group, speaks during a demonstration held Wednesday at Townsend Park in Albany to protest police brutality and the killing of Daunte Wright. Marcher Kasey Charles said, “People think we like protesting. The truth is, we just want people to stop killing us.”
Wright on Facebook. And she had cried then, from anger and exhaustion.
Her mental health felt like it was deteriorating. As a Black woman, she felt afraid for herself. And she wondered Wednesday when her afternoons wouldn’t be disrupted by grief and fury.
As Mizzero left the area near the South Station, and as officers and protesters pushed against each other, a friend poured water on her eyes. Pepper spray spread throughout the crowd. People yelled and cursed and cried.
“Please stop” Mizzero screamed, wiping her eyes. “It’s so painful.”