Hundreds of area residents gathered Saturday in Fulton to peacefully deliver a simple message: "Black lives matter."
That message was echoed again and again, in chants, on signs and in the words of tearful and passionate speakers. It was repeated by participants black and white, young and old.
"I do not want to have to bury my little brother when he's a teenager, or my older brother," said Fulton resident Fauntella Crumble, one of the speakers.
Auxvasse resident and organizer Aleigha Turner, who works in and has family in Fulton, posted the event to Facebook Tuesday. Like the hundreds of other recent protests across the world, Saturday's was in response to the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black Minneapolis resident who died after a police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes. The officer, Derek Chauvin, has since been charged with second-degree murder; other officers present at the scene were charged with aiding and abetting murder.
Turner said the response exceeded her expectations.
"I think it was a good turnout," she said as participants dispersed after the event. "It was peaceful, and I think we got our point across."
The protest
Protesters gathered at the concrete amphitheater in Memorial Park at about 6:30 p.m., many carrying handmade signs: "My black is not your threat," "All lives won't matter until black lives matter," "Be here now + Stay with the movement."
At a single microphone set up in the center of the amphitheater, speakers took turns sharing their experiences. Many spoke of fearing for the lives of black family members.
"I never thought there'd be a day in my life when I'd have to do this with my child - that I'd have to worry when she walked out the door," said April Ogden-Detienne, a white Fulton woman whose daughter is mixed-race.
Crumble's girlfriend, who declined to give her name, said her family has a tradition with their black sons. When they reach the age of 10, they get the talk from their father and uncles.
"It's the conversation of what to do if you're in an encounter with the police," she said.
The children are told to follow every instruction, use their manners - "I'm from the South," she added - keep your hands visible at all times, and "Make sure nothing is in your hands, make sure nothing is in your hands, make sure nothing is in your hands."
"This is the conversation my brother will have at age 10," she said. "I wonder if that's too late. It makes no sense. That's the world we live in, but that's not the world I want him to grow up in."
Deshawna Galbreath, a black woman who is legally Deaf, asked audience members to consider learning some basic sign language so they can intervene on behalf of people like her. Galbreath said her driver's license has a code indicating her deafness and requesting a sign language interpreter, in case she's ever pulled over or otherwise encounters police.
"But sometimes, police don't want to wait," she said.
According to the ACLU, deaf people are at extra risk of being assaulted by police because they may fail to understand verbal orders; officers may also interpret their hand signals as aggressive.
Another speaker, Fulton resident Tim Walker, said he saw himself in Floyd. Like Floyd, he said, he's made mistakes in his past - he's spent time in prison and bears handcuff scars on his hands. Like Floyd, he has children. Unlike Floyd, he got to come home after his last encounter with police years ago.
"I changed my life," he said. "Truthfully, I didn't want to be here, but because of my son, I had to be here. I have to lead by example. I'm here to lead my son so he can be a strong black man in this community"
At about 7:45 p.m., the crowd started walking up Court Street to loop through downtown. The marchers stuck together and chanted George Floyd's name and his dying words, "I can't breathe," among other chants. Protesters also repeated the names of other black Americans killed during encounters with police: Tamir Rice, Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner, Freddie Gray and many more.
Representatives from several local churches and businesses handed out cold water along the route - temperatures reached 90 degrees Saturday evening.
Members of the Fulton Police Department, Callaway County Sheriff's Office and Missouri Highway Patrol stood on seemingly every corner, both directing traffic and keeping an eye on the marchers. No counter-protesters were visible.
The march ended at the Callaway County Courthouse. Participants knelt and chanted at several CCSO and FPD officers stationed in front of the courthouse, asking them to "take a knee" and repeating "silence is violence." The officers did not kneel.
One marcher, Fulton resident Adam Hoteling, made a point of shaking as many officers' hands as possible - despite a white marcher yelling at him not to do so. Other marchers did the same, exchanging waves, handshakes and friendly words officers along the route.
"It makes me sad they wouldn't do this one thing with us," he said after the officers declined to take a knee.
Hoteling explained he's been "blessed with ignorance" in that he's never had a negative run-in with local police. Like many youths, he's been pulled over a couple times for speeding. He said the officer let him off with a warning, and he didn't feel judged for the color of his skin.
"I was polite (during the traffic stops)," Hoteling said. "I shook their hands in hopes they'll be respectful too. They're human beings like me."
At about 8:30 p.m., participants stood up and began heading back to their cars and toward home.
"We'll move forward with or without (the police)," Crumble's girlfriend said.
After the march
According to Fulton Police Chief Steve Myers, there were no arrests during or after the protest, nor were there any reports of property damage. CCSO deputies didn't make any arrests either, according to Sheriff Clay Chism.
"Everything went really great," he said Monday. "I think we had a tremendous community response; because we did have our local community involved, I think it was one of the reasons it went well. It was a great effort combined with the Callaway County Sheriff's Office, Missouri State Highway Patrol, citizens and members of our community."
Worries about potential outside agitators causing trouble didn't come to fruition, he said. Myers declined to say how many FPD officers were stationed downtown, saying that information might cause a potential "security risk" during future protests. Chism said much the same in an email Monday, adding that his department dedicated "a significant amount of primary and secondary resources to the downtown area and a few other areas around Fulton" toward keeping participants and other residents safe.
According to Myers, FPD officers stationed at the courthouse were not under orders not to join protesters in kneeling.
"Consistent with any type of organized protest, the law enforcement role is to remain neutral while ensuring the safety of all involved citizens," Chism said. "That's not to say the officers don't agree with many of the points being made. To be blunt - hear it from me please - no one, including myself, hates a 'bad cop' more than a 'good cop.'"
He said he'd received information about a possible counter-protest, and thus it was "imperative" for officers to remain neutral and stay alert to "provide constitutional safeguards for everyone."
Chism noted that per Missouri's law enforcement continuing education requirements, deputies receive annual anti-bias training. He also holds himself and deputies to a high standard of behavior, he said.
"There are repercussions for bad behavior," he said. "As to bias, if I detected such an act, it would be addressed immediately. Myself and Chief Myers have worked tirelessly for years to maintain great community relations here locally. We haven't waited for a bad situation to start the conversation. Instead, our conversations with community leaders, such as Pastor Charles Jackson, are well established and not reactive, but proactive."
After the event concluded Saturday, Turner said she'd heard interest in a potential follow-up march from the courthouse to the Fulton Police Department. No date for that march has yet been set.
Another march, which Turner did not organize, is planned for June 19 - also known as Juneteenth, the date the last enslaved African Americans were freed in the Confederacy - at 6 p.m. in downtown Fulton. The event can be found on Facebook at bit.ly/2MD9Ear.
EARLIER VERSION:
Hundreds of area residents gathered Saturday in Fulton to peacefully deliver a simple message: "Black lives matter."
That message was echoed again and again, in chants, on signs and in the words of tearful and passionate speakers. It was repeated by participants black and white, young and old.
"I do not want to have to bury my little brother when he's a teenager, or my older brother," said Fulton resident Fauntella Crumble, one of the speakers.
Auxvasse resident and organizer Aleigha Turner, who works in and has family in Fulton, posted the event to Facebook on Tuesday. Like the hundreds of other recent protests across the world, Saturday's was in response to the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black Minneapolis resident who died after a police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes. The officer, Derek Chauvin, has since been charged with second-degree murder; other officers present at the scene were charged with aiding and abetting murder.
Turner said the response exceeded her expectations.
"I think it was a good turnout," she said as participants dispersed after the event. "It was peaceful, and I think we got our point across."
Protesters gathered at the concrete amphitheater in Memorial Park at about 6:30 p.m., many carrying handmade signs: "My black is not your threat," "All lives won't matter until black lives matter," "Be here now + Stay with the movement."
At a single microphone set up in the center of the amphitheater, speakers took turns sharing their experiences. Many spoke of fearing for the lives of black family members.
"I never thought there'd be a day in my life when I'd have to do this with my child - that I'd have to worry when she walked out the door," said April Ogden-Detienne, a white Fulton woman whose daughter is mixed-race.
Crumble's girlfriend, who declined to give her name, said her family has a tradition with their black sons. When they reach the age of 10, they get the talk from their father and uncles.
"It's the conversation of what to do if you're in an encounter with the police," she said.
The children are told to follow every instruction, use their manners - "I'm from the south," she added - keep your hands visible at all times, and "Make sure nothing is in your hands, make sure nothing is in your hands, make sure nothing is in your hands."
"This is the conversation my brother will have at age 10," she said. "I wonder if that's too late. It makes no sense. That's the world we live in, but that's not the world I want him to grow up in."
Another speaker, Fulton resident Tim Walker, said he saw himself in Floyd. Like Floyd, he said, he's made mistakes in his past - he's spent time in prison and bears handcuff scars on his hands. Like Floyd, he has children. Unlike Floyd, he got to come home after his last encounter with police years ago.
"I changed my life," he said. "Truthfully, I didn't want to be here, but because of my son, I had to be here. I have to lead by example. I'm here to lead my son so he can be a strong black man in this community"
At about 7:45 p.m., the crowd started walking up Court Street to loop through downtown. The marchers stuck together and chanted George Floyd's name and his dying words, "I can't breathe," among other chants. Protesters also repeated the names of other black Americans killed during encounters with police: Tamir Rice, Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner, Freddie Gray and many more.
Representatives from several local churches and businesses handed out cold water along the route - temperatures reached 90 degrees Saturday evening.
Members of the Fulton Police Department, Callaway County Sheriff's Office and Missouri Highway Patrol stood on seemingly every corner, both directing traffic and keeping an eye on the marchers. No counter-protesters were visible.
The march ended at the Callaway County Courthouse. Participants knelt and chanted at several CCSO and FPD officers stationed in front of the courthouse, asking them to "take a knee" and repeating "silence is violence." The officers did not kneel.
One marcher, Fulton resident Adam Hoteling, made a point of shaking as many officers' hands as possible - despite a white marcher yelling at him not to do so.
"It makes me sad they wouldn't do this one thing with us," he said after the officers declined to take a knee.
Hoteling explained he's been "blessed with ignorance" in that he's never had a negative run-in with local police. Like many youths, he's been pulled over a couple times for speeding. He said the officer let him off with a warning, and he didn't feel judged for the color of his skin.
"I was polite (during the traffic stops)," Hoteling said. "I shook their hands in hopes they'll be respectful too. They're human beings like me."
At about 8:30 p.m., participants stood up and began heading back to their cars and toward home.
"We'll move forward with or without (the police)," Crumble's girlfriend said.