Thousands of people joined Saturday’s march in honor of George Floyd at the Oregon Capitol. This was the eighth consecutive day of protests in Salem against police brutality. The event, one of the largest protests in Salem’s history, began at noon and the group did not fully disperse until the 11 p.m. curfew. It consisted of speeches, singing, dancing, music, prayers, marching, kneeling, chanting and cheering.
“This is our power. This is our show of force,” Gregg Simpson, one of the rally organizers, said about the protest on Saturday.
The forecast for the day predicted thunderstorms and the weather at the protest varied drastically. There was sun, pouring rain, a drizzle, clouds and even hail. However, the inclement weather did not deter attendees, who included a diverse cross-section of the Salem community from people of all races, ages, and religions, including a coven of local witches. Salem’s own Caesar the No Drama Llama, who has made national news recently, was also in attendance.
The Sikh Seva Foundation of Salem provided free Indian food while a volunteer health team, Alluvium, provided free COVID-19 testing for any people of color who had been attending protests this week. The Salem Police Department also provided support with officers handing out water bottles to protestors.
The event began with a lineup of local community leaders, mostly persons of color, sharing stories, prayers, and words of inspiration. Elected officials stressed the need for change and law enforcement officers expressed their support for the peaceful protest. Speeches were translated into ASL and Spanish.
Shelaswau Crier, a local community member, shared one of her own personal experiences with the crowd. She talked about how a vigilante neighbor followed her son as he rode the bus to school on the advice of the Salem Police Department, after reporting her son as a criminal suspect solely because he was a young black male walking in the early morning through the neighborhood. She now provides training to the Salem police to help reduce racist incidents in the future.
“All I was thinking about was how grateful I am that [my son] is not dead in the streets somewhere… but so many moms can’t say that,” Crier said.
Crier also stressed the importance of voting and getting involved in the government, which was a common theme throughout the rally. Multiple speakers encouraged people to get out and vote, including Bill Burgess, the Marion County Clerk. There were also people circulating in the crowd registering people to vote.
“You want to make this Capitol building and its leaders quake? Vote. You want to make Congress and this president quake? Vote!” Burgess told the crowd while talking about how to make sure their grievances are heard by elected officials.
Multiple speakers, including Simpson, also stressed the importance of remaining peaceful at this protest. They talked about how the message of this protest was not one of violence and that people attempting to incite confrontation were not welcome. They urged those gathered not to be at odds with the officers present, but instead to work with them.
“Do not use our platform to spread your hatred and violence,” Simpson urged potential agitators who might have been in the crowd.
Along with maintaining the peace, multiple people highlighted that change will not occur if the movement dies. They discussed how real change will take a prolonged period of organizing, contacting elected officials, speaking out against racism, voting and fighting for justice.
“This is not going to change in a month or two months. We must stand together forever,” Simpson said.
The final central message of the event was the need for police reform and a change to current law enforcement institutions. Speakers talked about the need to fight police brutality and regulate the power that law enforcement officers possess.
“Today it is not white versus black, it is everybody versus racism, unchecked power and government brutality,” Julianne Jackson, a young woman, told the crowd.
Interspersed with the speeches, were songs, including the “Black National Anthem,” which was performed by Zunyana Crier.
A group of Aztec dancers also took to the stage where they performed traditional dances for the crowd. As they danced, it began to rain and then hail.
Following their performance they invited members of the crowd to participate in a purification ritual. During the dancing and ritual, a group of half a dozen armed counter-protestors positioned themselves at the top of the Capitol steps, in front of the crowd. At least a few members were from the group positioned outside of Glamour Salon in downtown Salem earlier this week.
The counter-protestors were openly carrying firearms and waving American flags. Several protestors alerted police of the armed group’s presence. Meanwhile one protestor positioned himself between the person who presented as the group’s leader and the crowd. One person from the Aztec dance group also came over, positioning herself alongside the other protestor and performed a purifying ritual on the group’s leader. At this point yelling erupted and police officers quickly positioned themselves and their bikes as a buffer between the two groups.
There was a heavy police presence at the protest, although the officers were on bike or foot as organizers had coordinated the rally and march with law enforcement. Members of Oregon State Police [OSP], Salem Police Department and the Marion County Sheriff’s Department were present. Both Marion County Sheriff Joe Kast and Salem Police Chief Jerry Moore gave speeches and were present at the rally itself.
Moore said that he was in attendance because he represents the city and wanted “to show support for the people out here [at the rally] today.” He further discussed that this movement came about because “people are tired of police brutality.”
After the police formed a barrier between the competing groups, organizers directed the crowd’s focus back to the rally.
“Do not give them power. Ignore them,” organizers told the crowd.
Protestors then took a knee for several minutes and raised their fists in the air in honor of Floyd. Some officers joined in as well. After kneeling, “Lean On Me” played as multiple protestors embraced officers.
“We are going to build a bridge with these officers,” William Jones said.
After kneeling, protestors began their march through downtown Salem. The march was approximately ten blocks long and the crowd was large enough that it spanned most blocks simultaneously. During the march, protestors chanted “Say her name, Breonna Taylor,” “Hands up, don’t shoot,” “Say his name, George Floyd,” “Whose lives matter? Black lives matter” and others.
Following the march, protestors gathered on the Capitol Mall. The crowd filled the entire grassy area. After pausing on the mall, the protestors gathered back at the steps, where any members of the crowd were invited to take a turn at the microphone. Crowd members shared personal stories, poetry, anecdotes and more.
As they spoke, much of the crowd dwindled so that by 4:45 only a few hundred people remained. At this time, Simpson announced that he was leaving and urged anyone who elected to stay to remain peaceful and to represent the rally well. About half the crowd left, too.
A car march was held about ten minutes later with dozens of people driving around the Capitol and honking their horns in support.
The number continued to decrease across the evening hours. By 10:50, only a couple dozen protestors remained. At this time, one patrol car pulled up and a single officer got out in regular uniform. He made sure that the people still there knew a curfew was going into effect. As he was leaving, a couple protestors shouted “We appreciate you” to him.
At 11 p.m., a group of OSP troopers came out to clear the Capitol steps. Most of the group had left, but a few young men went up to the troopers. The young men offered the troopers cupcakes and then they all chatted together for a while. By 11:10, everyone had left the Capitol area and the streets were quiet.
