BRIEF: Houstonians protest racial injustice
Individuals in the Houston area gather to protest racial inequality and police brutality following the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
On May 25, in Minneapolis, Minnesota George Floyd died after he was pinned to the ground by a police officer for eight minutes and 46 seconds following his arrest. An individual recorded the arrest on a cell phone and the video circulated online May 26. The first protest following Floyds death was on May 26 in Minneapolis. Following his death, people in all 50 states and 18 countries are participating in protests.
Black Lives Matter: Houston hosted their first protest May 29 at 2 p.m. The march route was from McKinney and Avenida De Las Americas to Houston City Hall. KHOU reported 137 arrests were made, businesses were vandalized, eight police officers were injured and 16 police vehicles were damaged.
On June 2, Houston based rappers Trae the Truth and Bun B hosted a march and rally with Floyd’s family, who reside in the Houston area. 60,000 individuals attended the march from Discovery Green to Houston City Hall. Floyd’s family spoke to the crowd as well as Mayor Sylvester Turner. Art Acevedo, Houston police chief, spoke and prayed with the crowd for a peaceful march.
March and rally attendees across Houston took a knee as a moment of silence and/or layed on the ground for eight minutes and 46 seconds in solidarity of how Floyd died.
Protests and marches also continue to take place in cities and neighborhoods surrounding UHCL. Some of the locations include Clear Lake/Webster, Deer Park, Friendswood, Galveston, League City, Pasadena and Pearland.
Information on when and where local protests are hosted are spread by word of mouth and social media platforms as many protest events are not widely promoted. The Black Lives Matter: Houston Facebook page also reposts flyers with protest times and locations.
COVID-19 safety measures are also stated on most protest flyers. Safety apps, like Citizen, provides users with real time local safety information for and during protests. Amnesty International created an infographic on how to be safe when protesting.
