Benicia youth are organizing a second protest rally and march in remembrance and honor of all victims of police brutality, to be held at (CORRECTION…) GATHER AT 9TH STREET PARK on Saturday, June 13 at 11am.
The Facebook event gives details:
“Hi all – There’s been a lot of confusion around the protest for Saturday so I wanted to clear it all up for everyone. I’m not the original organizer for it but I offered my help in letting everyone know about it and gathering supplies. The organizer wasn’t aware that there was a separate protest for Sunday. The two organizers have been in contact and decided to combine the two. So, the new plan is everyone meets at 9th street park, we march up to the gazebo on first street, we do speeches and allow people from the crowd to speak, and then we march back down to the park. I’ve updated the flyer and I’m going to put the new one in the comments down below. There will be drinks and snacks provided. Please remember to wear a mask and stay 6 ft apart. Please please share this with everyone so no one is confused. There will be someone at the gazebo to direct people to go to the 9th street park if they go there first. This has been really complicated to put together and I appreciate everyone who has been understanding about it. Also want to give a special shout out to everyone who has donated food, drinks, supplies, etc. Your kindness does not go unnoticed. Please tell anyone you know that is planning to go to meet at 9TH STREET PARK AT 11AM ON SATURDAY. See you all there.❤️“
EARLIER INFO POSTED ON JUNE 9
I tracked down one of the organizers, Journey Eske, who responded to my interview questions with written answers:
By Journey Eske…
My main reason for wanting to help organize this event was not only because of George Floyd, but also to bring awareness of an issue black and brown men and women face on a daily basis. Police brutality and racism are things people of color have to endure simply because of the color of their skin. They fear for their lives when going to the store, taking a walk in their own neighborhood, or holding their cell phone in their hand. It is important that we realize police officers are not the entire issue but more so a small part of a much bigger problem, the justice system as a whole.
We’ve been reaching out and spreading the word about the event on social media. I made an event page on facebook, and over 100 people have responded saying they’re going. I’m hoping for at least 200, but the more the better. Racism is taught and is a learned behavior, so the more people who come, listen, and are willing to make a change, the better it will be for the human race as a whole.
There will be speakers at the event. We will also have drinks and dry snacks for everyone who attends the protest. After speeches, there will be crowd engagement, giving people from the audience a chance to come up and say a few words. After that, we will march down first street in honor of George Floyd and countless other people of color who have fallen victim to police brutality and racism.
We are strongly asking protesters to maintain 6 ft of distance between themselves and everyone else, as well as wear a mask, due to the COVID-19 outbreak. I’m not sure if we’re marching to the police station, but I hope so as a lot of the change needs to happen there.
You asked about me: I graduated from BHS in 2017 and I am currently a student at DVC majoring in nursing. I heard about this event through a friend on snapchat. The original organizer, Lafayle Fuller, told me I could do a speech and asked me to help put this event together. I immediately said I would, and started gathering supplies and reaching out to as many people as I could to let them know about the protest. Putting an event like this together is definitely a group effort.
We checked in with Benicia Police and they were made aware of this event. Steve Young, a member of the Benicia City Council, reached out to me and said he would like to say a few words during the protest, as he is very supportive of it. He also is going to try to arrange for a voter registration table so people at the protest can register to vote.
CORRECTION: The organizers of this march are not affiliated with Benicia Youth Against Brutality.
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