In Iowa, police and protesters kneel jointly
Tense moments end peacefully in solidarity
DES MOINES, Iowa – A tense protest outside police headquarters in Des Moines Sunday night ended in an unexpected show of peaceful solidarity as dozens of officers agreed to protesters’ calls to take a knee in honor of George Floyd, a black man who died at the hands of Minneapolis police.
The protesters had gathered across the street from police head-quarters and were concerned that police would use tear gas and pepper spray and begin making arrests at 9 p.m. local time, when Polk County’s curfew, set earlier Sunday, began.
Shortly before 9 p.m., the protesters all knelt down, telling police that they were honoring the memory of George Floyd, the man who died in Minneapolis with a police officer’s knee pinning his neck, pleading that he couldn’t breathe.
The protesters then stood up, raised their hands, and chanted, “Hands up, don’t shoot.” A shouted exchange followed, with protesters saying that if the
officers would kneel with them in honor of Floyd, they would leave.
At the urging of a pastor from the community, senior Des Moines police Officers Irvin Franklin and Jack Kamerick knelt and said a prayer. The pastor spoke with the protesters and officers,
and convinced the protesters to assure the other officers that they would leave peacefully if all of the officers knelt for a moment of silence and prayer for Floyd.
At 9:01 p.m., the remaining officers knelt.
Another group of officers in riot gear approached the crowd from the north, calling for them to disperse. The pastor again negotiated between the two groups and after protesters chanted “take a knee,” and some of them confirmed they would leave peacefully if the officers did so, those officers also knelt.
The crowd cheered, then rose and was gone within minutes, although one protester called for them to return Monday, “same time, same place.”
Police Chief Dana Wingert was on the scene and praised the actions of his officers and the protesters.
“What you have here, you have men and women that know the difference between right and wrong and you have community relationships that respect that,” Wingert said. “That’s what this was all about. This is a success.”
Before the protest began, Willie Bradley, a 33-year-old University of Iowa student, said he was hoping for a peaceful protest that allowed for some dialogue with the police.
“We don’t hate the police, we just hate the individuals that do these senseless killings. And I think that we need the police to protect and serve, especially unarmed black men and women. And I think that we need to have that dialogue,” he said.