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‘I can’t be silent anymore’

Diverse group gathers in Litchfield Park to protest Floyd killing

Posted 6/5/20

Dewayne Hawkins was standing with his family on the northwest corner of Camelback and Litchfield roads in Litchfield Park shortly after 8 a.m. Saturday, June 6, holding a sign that read, …

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‘I can’t be silent anymore’

Diverse group gathers in Litchfield Park to protest Floyd killing

Posted

Dewayne Hawkins was standing with his family on the northwest corner of Camelback and Litchfield roads in Litchfield Park shortly after 8 a.m. Saturday, June 6, holding a sign that read, “B.L.M. Justice for George Floyd,” when a woman riding in a van rolled down her window to address him.

“We’re with you, 100 percent!” she yelled, smiling and waving as the light turned green and the van pulled away, the driver honking his support for a small, diverse group of people who gathered at the busy intersection to protest the death of Floyd, a black Minneapolis resident killed May 25 when a white police officer and three others knelt on his neck and body until he stopped breathing.

Mr. Hawkins, a teacher who lives in Goodyear, said when he heard about the peaceful, two-hour protest organized by Buckeye resident Jalundra Edwards, he wanted to bring his family to help raise awareness of the systemic injustice that is prevalent in America, and to show his children that it’s OK to speak out.

“I grew up in Oakland (California), so I’m familiar with it,” he said of racism. “I just want to be part of the bigger picture.”

Across the street from the Hawkins family, Ms. Edwards held a sign that read “Honk for justice.”

She said she was inspired to organize Saturday’s protest when she saw three people holding signs at Verrado Way and McDowell Road in Buckeye on Thursday.

“There were only three of them, but they made such an impact,” Ms. Edwards said.

She chose the intersection near Fry’s Marketplace because it’s high-traffic, and reached out to family, friends and co-workers, many of whom were among the 25 who attended Saturday morning to share her message of solidarity and equality for all.

“Not all lives matter until black lives matter,” Ms. Edwards said. “We are all one race; the human race. If we stand united, we can end the systemic bias.”

Standing nearby was Brian Humphreys of Goodyear, an active-duty major stationed at Luke Air Force Base, who attended with his wife, Christen, and their four children.

Holding a sign that read “Liberty and justice for all” made by his wife, Mr. Humphreys said protests held across the country since Mr. Floyd’s death have sparked a number of frank, difficult conversations with fellow airmen that motivated him to get involved.

“I’ve been telling my folks that we all wear the uniform and swore an oath to uphold the Constitution,” he said. “It’s important for white people, and especially for white males, to stand together with our fellow humans to make sure they’re protected. Many of my fellow airmen, who fight for our freedom, when they step outside the gates, they’re not protected.”

Mr. Humphreys said he hopes to open dialogue with local law enforcement and other community leaders after hearing from many in his command about their encounters with police.

“I respect police officers but I will not tolerate a police officer who does what happened to George Floyd,” he said. “As someone who says I want to fight for freedom and justice, I can’t be silent any more. We’ve got to agree that there is a problem.”

Mrs. Humphreys, who held a sign that read, “Every tribe, every tongue, every nation on earth as in Heaven,” said she chose a verse from the Bible because “all Christians should recognize hate for what it is.”

She said the couple brought their children to the protest because they want them to understand that it’s important to speak out when something is wrong.

“We want them to be injustice fighters for their whole lives,” Mrs. Humphreys said.

The couple’s 13-year-old daughter, Rose, stood next to Ms. Edwards, holding a sign that read, “Even I know not to hate,” with the hashtag #loveyourneighborasyourself.

“I don’t think racism is very nice,” she said. “It makes me angry.”

During the protest, hundreds of vehicles, including Goodyear Police and Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office SUVs with lights flashing, made their way through the intersection at a steady pace. Like the woman in the van, many voiced their support, honked their horns and waved to protesters, who waved back and shouted, “thank you!”

Some drove past without acknowledging those who stood on all four corners of the intersection, and two motorists showed their opposition. One man waved a confederate flag and gunned his truck engine as he drove through the intersection, and another stuck up his middle finger at the protestors, who ignored both men.

“We were all encouraged at how many people clearly cared and showed their support as they drove by,” Mr. Humphreys said via text after the protest. “We understand there are some who don’t yet understand and some who will never choose to understand, but we pray that all will!”

Ms. Edwards agreed.

“We received a lot of support from the community, from gift cards to water to Gatorade,” she said. “Litchfield Park really showed up ... we had quite a few people ask us to come back, so I’m sure we’re going to have a great turnout at our next protest” sometime next week.

Kelly O’Sullivan can be reached at kosullivan@newszap.com or 760-963-1697.