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2020 was a year of awakening for many people when it came to racial inequality. Some went out to the street and some stayed home, but supported the movement and cause, nevertheless. The ones that went out and marched, used their voices and fought their local and federal government and made it far, but many others did not make it to the end without consequences.
The streets of Cleveland, Ohio were full of protesters who knew about the inequality and racial injustice their city and country are facing. Groups like Black Lives Matter Cleveland, Refuse Fascism, and FTF Cleveland protested for months, but “with every protest, fewer community members were attracted to come out” said Bill, from Refuse Fascism Ohio. The local police and federal agencies were targeting protesters and putting fears in their heads. Some protesters were arrested and some are still facing felony charges. Stephanie Thomas is a local community activist and protester. Thomas shared with us her experience after been arrested and profiled by Cleveland sheriffs, for protesting in front of the so-called Justice Center.
“My words are not bullets. Freedom of speech is kinder than a spray of gunfire” Thomas shared with us. "After being incarcerated for more than two days, I had a chance to see how messed up our justice system is. The food, the unhygienic conditions, the cells, everything was disgusting and not sanitized. I wore the same mask for almost 3 days before they gave me a new one. With little to no vision of the outside world, all you can do is stare at a bare wall all day," Thomas said.
Other protesters have been practicing their Second Amendment rights by bearing arms and open-carrying at protests but these practices have not had good outcomes. Zachary Shellhammer, a community activist and Second Amendment supporter now is facing a couple of felony charges due to carrying his firearm openly at a protest. "Ohio is an open carry state. Protesting while armed is a protected right, but we learned our right are nothing more than words on paper to these tyrants. The freedom of speech is to be safeguarded by the right to bear arms, but previous generations sat by idle while the state stripped us of any opportunities for change. The state no longer views us as innocent until proven guilty, its quite the contrary. I just hope that this past year of demonstrations and reactions of the state does not suffocate the dreams of future generations of freedom and justice for all" Shellhammer Said. He also mentions how he was poorly treated by the justice system due to his status in the community as an organizer and known protester for human rights.
Shellhammer also spoke about how community organizers were targeted by federal agents in Cleveland during the summer of 2020. Community organizers created a community group called Fuck the Feds to protest these events and did their best to keep federal agents out of the city. Unfortunately, after the events on May 30th 2020, Cleveland did change. The city of Cleveland became one of the cities on the radar for the Feds and for President Trump to spread his hate and fear.
Cleveland’s protesters have been endangered due to the overpowering of the local and state police. Protesting is slowly becoming more of a crime than a freedom of speech practice and the state is making it even worse by proposing bills to stop protest gatherings. If these bills are passed, protesters can be imprisoned for things such as blocking streets and sidewalks, yelling at a police officer, and/or providing support to groups and organizations that are organizing protests. This means that any gathering of five people or more on any sidewalk or road can end in a felony charge or even in jail time.
We are still fighting everyday for racial and gender equity in our cities – while we do, we must remember to that our government is bringing fascist bills and trying to stop the people from being united. Grab your scooters, your bicycles, your car, and your signs and let us keep marching until we can march no more. Let's protest for what is right and let us show these cities what community looks like!
The fascist fills the ranks while bikes and protesters are ready to come out and stop them. We will lift our megaphones. Let the fight for freedom begin!
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Editor: Jolie Townsend-Moyer
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