HOUSTON: Peaceful marches held, but police brace for rise in hostilities
Bracing for a second day of fierce protests, local and state leaders deployed a heavy presence of law enforcement officers across Houston on Saturday and were met with largely peaceful demonstrations — along with occasional clashes — by those angered over the death of George Floyd.
By late evening, officials had yet to see a repeat of the chaotic events from Friday night that injured eight police officers, damaged 16 police cruisers and resulted in 137 arrests. The day began with Floyd’s classmates from Yates High School holding a vigil and marching without incident through the Third Ward neighborhood where he grew up, followed several hours later by a second march from Emancipation Park through Midtown to City Hall.
Demonstrators at times butted heads with police who tried to hem them in, though without triggering any violent confrontations. Around 10:30 p.m., officers
zip-tied and arrested a line of protesters, who complied with police and will be charged with obstructing a roadway, HPD officials said.
Event organizers acknowledged they found it difficult to maintain peace with so many tired and angry at what they viewed as a hostile police and political elite.
“Those that have an agenda that can throw progress off, you have to distance yourself,” said Casper Snow, who urged marchers in the afternoon to stop bickering among themselves. “You just can’t keep everyone in the same emotion.”
What all marchers agreed was there is a schism between police and minorities.
“I’m pissed off like everybody else,” said T. Grant Malone, pastor at St. John Missionary Baptist Church.
Some said they are trying to strike a balance between supporting police and demanding reform within law enforcement agencies that they argue are laden with structural racism.
“We don’t hate officers. We don’t like officers who kill people for no reason,” march organizer Justin Jones said.
Tensions escalated later as the sun set and police tried to usher protesters from downtown. At least one person was handcuffed at La Branch and Jefferson when they were ordered to leave the roadway.
Around the same time, Gov. Greg Abbott activated National Guard troops to manage protests throughout the state. The governor already had deployed Department of Public Safety officers to Houston and three other cities, while Police Chief Art Acevedo said his entire department was ready, with officers working alternate 12-hour shifts.
Still, officials were continuing to prepare for the protests to intensify. The demonstrations had begun peacefully the day before only to boil over at night, with protesters obstructing highways, hurling objects at officers and destroying police cars. Acevedo, who joined protesters on the march to City Hall on Saturday, said police officers were monitoring the threat of white supremacists coming to Houston to “create havoc,” though he withheld further details.
The chief also backed up the accounts of some demonstrators who said the destruction and violence Friday did not appear to be the work of those protesting systemic racism and police violence. He said many of the provocateurs were white, unconnected with the demonstrations and possibly from out of town.
“I saw people that didn’t look like you and me last night, downtown in the middle of the night, tearing (expletive) up,” Acevedo said. “And you know why? They don’t want to talk about George Floyd and how he died when he didn’t have to. They want to talk about how black and brown people tearing stuff up. They want to hijack the legitimacy of the grievances.”
The protests, which played out in cities across America, came in response to the death of Floyd, a 46year-old black man who died in Minneapolis police custody. Video footage showed an officer kneeling on Floyd’s neck as he pleaded for air. The officer, Derek Chauvin, faces charges of third-degree murder and manslaughter, and he was fired earlier this week along with three other officers at the scene. A second video emerged Friday that appears to show two other officers pinning Floyd to the ground.
Houston’s police union expressed tacit support for those protesting nonviolently, tweeting a photo of an officer embracing a demonstrator along with a widely shared image of people praying outside a patrol station.
“Our officers didn’t know what to expect when the group arrived in their parking lot,” the union tweeted. “The group wasn’t there to protest, riot, or loot — they were there to pray.”
The messages contrasted sharply with some of the prior rhetoric used by union leaders in the face of police criticism, including President Joe Gamaldi’s warning after last year’s botched HPD drug raid that police would “be keeping track” of those saying that “police officers are the enemy.”
Tony Freeley, 42, joined the protest downtown at City Hall on Saturday, saying he has been sick for three days with anger and worry.
“I keep seeing my son,” Freeley said, referring to 24-year-old Shawn Freeley. “That could be him with his neck on the ground or throwing rocks at the cops. It’s just hard out there to be a young man and come in contact with the police.”
Houston officials did not report any accounts of injuries by 9 p.m. Saturday, though several protesters appeared to sustain injuries the day before. A video circulating online showed an officer mounted on a horse knocking over a woman holding a sign. Acevedo ordered an administrative review of that case and said it appeared inadvertent.
Meanwhile, local elected officials joined Acevedo and his executive staff at the vigil for Floyd on Saturday morning, with U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and Houston City Council member Carolyn Evans-Shabazz making remarks. Jackson Lee, a Houston Democrat, later vowed to pass legislation to fund training for law enforcement officers to de-escalate situations and overcome biases.
“They cannot see a black man. They have to see an American,” she said, standing beside Floyd’s nephew, Brandon Williams, and other family friends at an afternoon news conference downtown. “They cannot see a white, a brown, an Asian and others. They cannot see a Muslim, a Christian, a Jewish person, or Catholic or Protestant. They have to see an American.”
Williams, 29, said his family wanted justice for Floyd’s death, calling the incident “murder.” He said the protests in Houston and around the country are about spurring change.
“I speak to the nation and world when I say people are fed up. They’re hurt, angry, disgusted,” he said. “We don’t hate law enforcement, but something needs to be done. It has to stop. I’m starting to feel like it’s normalized, and nothing about that is right.”
Mayor Sylvester Turner announced Saturday that Floyd’s remains will be returned to the city for burial.
“This is the same city that George Floyd grew up in, and his body will be returning to this city,” Turner said. “So the focus needs to be on supporting and lifting up his family.”
The mayor did not release any details on the funeral service. Family members and a civil rights firm representing them were not available for comment.
A GoFundMe page set up three days ago by Floyd’s brother has raised more than $4.6 million to pay for funeral, burial, grief counseling, travel and court costs. The money also will support his children and their education.
Charles Jones III, a classmate and teammate who attended the morning vigil for Floyd, said he was a “high-spirited dude” who always kept the locker room energized and laughing. Marcus Brooks, a 1991 graduate, said Yates High School alumni are tight-knit.
“The great school of Jack Yates High is not what you see in the media,” Brooks said. “We’re a family. We want that to be known.”
Police also maintained that they did not use tear gas Friday night, contrary to media reports. Officers did use pepper spray, HPD spokesman John Cannon said, on five occasions to try to keep people off freeways.
The total damage from the protests wasn’t yet known, Acevedo said. A total of 16 cruisers were defaced or damaged, and the department is working on a report about damage to downtown businesses.