AN ‘ACTIVE ALLIANCE’

200-plus silently march as part of Mentor Racial Justice Week

The penultimate day of Mentor Racial Justice Week began in sobering silence at Veterans Park on Hopkins Road with dozens of participants kneeling in remembrance of lives lost to police brutality and racial injustice.

Following daily themed events — “Chopping It Up With Cop,” “Joint the Conversation” and a “Book Club” discussion — “Unarmed-Stay Alive Silent March” took place July 10, with individuals walking 1.7 miles in the rain and in solidarity to the Mentor Civic Center Amphitheater.

Conceived and practiced in peaceful protest, the mass march moved with no singing or chanting, members instead letting shirts and signs announce the collective message.

Mentor-on-the-Lake resident Brandon Towns, through collaborative efforts with community members, leaders and officials, spearheaded the week of activism — citing the May 25 killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis as one of several motivations — to raise awareness and implement change.

Raising his kids in a better world is another factor, Towns said.

“I take my responsibility as a father extremely seriously,” he added. “To have two children who will for the majority of their lives be beyond my eyesight and reach scares me to death. I have an obligation to educate them, but I also have a responsibility to make sure they can live freely and without fear.”

Originally from Columbus, the 31-year-old Cleveland Metropolitan School District assistant principal, who will soon earn his doctorate in urban education, believes discussion coupled with action has made the week and its purpose a success.

“The overall reception has been fantastic,” Towns said. “I want to thank all of the officials, advocates and law enforcement officers for helping make this week a reality. I am honored to call myself a resident here, but that does not mean there aren’t issues and concerns because they do exist.”

Towns emphasized that the demonstrated actions of Racial Justice Week and Black Lives Matter Lake County serve to elicit a wake-up process through reassessment and reform, as well as to the exclusion of no individual or group.

“The current fight is for people of color to stop being killed by police officers and that swift action is taken to prosecute, showing that our lives do indeed matter,” he said, adding that those tenets aren’t tantamount to civil disorder or social unrest.

“Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and I claim to be no expert or ‘Big-T Truth’ purveyor, but I do find it interesting that a lot of the misconstrued criticism is among the privileged class. Although protesting, rioting and looting are different, they can be necessary for the fight for justice.

“Martin Luther King Jr. said, ‘A riot is the voice of the unheard. If you don’t listen to a whisper, you’re inviting a shout. If you don’t listen to a shout, you’re inviting a nonviolent protest. If you don’t listen to a nonviolent protest, you’re inviting violence.’

“If one wishes to stop violence without addressing the root cause, then one is not concerned with justice,” Towns said. “I would not ‘riot’ or ‘loot,’ but my experience with law enforcement and this capitalistic society is vastly different than many of my brothers’ and sisters’, and I refuse to allow my voice to be used to condemn them.”

Noting the novel coronavirus pandemic’s effect on the world, Mentor-on-theLake Mayor David Eva expressed hope that a vaccine soon will be developed to return the world to a sense of normality but added there is no vaccination for the public health issue of racism.

“We can’t change 400 years of history in one day or one week,” he said. “Black lives do matter, and we need to value and recognize the importance of diversity. We need to educate, and we need to rethink. Actions speak louder than words. Let’s start with being kind and compassionate. I want to be part of keeping this discussion going beyond this week, and I will keep in touch with Brandon. We can do better, and we must do better when it comes to racism.”

The week’s events conclude at 8 p.m. July 11 with “Reflect and Commit” via Facebook, with participants sharing respective plans working toward racial justice using their preferred artistic styles. Creations will then be uploaded to the social media site.

While acknowledging the five-day community engagement as a “first step,” Towns has no immediate follow-up plans, adding that justice, in and of itself, is a journey.

“I am committed to keeping the conversations going through this active alliance,” he said. “It’s always about today and it’s always about tomorrow. The goal, always, is to be the change you seek, to work for justice and to do justice.”

“Black lives do matter, and we need to value and recognize the importance of diversity. We need to educate, and we need to rethink. Actions speak louder than words. Let’s start with being kind and compassionate..” — Mentor-on-the-Lake Mayor David Eva

PHOTOS CHAD FELTON — THE NEWS-HERALD Mentor-on-the-Lake resident Brandon Towns, in red poncho, leads the “Unarmed-Stay Alive Silent March” in Mentor on July 10, one of several events held during Mentor Racial Justice Week.

Hundreds of citizens turned out in Mentor to silently march in protest of police brutality, culminating a weeklong collective activism addressing racial injustice.

PHOTOS BY CHAD FELTON — THE NEWS-HERALD As part of Mentor Racial Justice Week, a silent march of protest took place on July 10, finishing near the Mentor Civic Center Amphitheater.

Mentor Racial Justice Week concludes July 11, though plans to continue to raise awareness.