Black Lives Matter protest sparks conversation about racism in Revelstoke

It took the courage and tenacity of a teenager to bring the conversation about racism and police brutality — sparked by the death of George Floyd, a black man killed while detained in handcuffs by a white Minneapolis police officer — to Revelstoke.

On Thursday, June 4, more than 300 people gathered at Centennial Park in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Organizer Aza Deschamps, a Revelstoke Secondary School Grade 12 student, kicked off the demonstration by raising her megaphone and, with fierceness in her voice, addressed the crowd.

Black Lives Matter protest planned for Revelstoke

“There is one simple fact, and that is that we are all equal. We are one human race,” said Deschamps, who addressed her age by stating, “Age does not matter anymore. We either make a difference or we don’t.”

Watch: Live video of the June 4 Black Lives Matter protest in Revelstoke

“What about the 16-year-old that already knows how to talk to an officer and explain she is unarmed and cannot hurt them, just because of the colour of her skin? What about the 12-year-old boy that is already labeled an alcoholic just because he grew up on the reservation?” Deschamps asked the crowd.

Residents gather in Revelstoke’s Centennial Park for a noon-hour protest in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. About 350 people gathered to hear a speech and take a nine-minute moment of silence in honour of George Floyd. Photo: Aaron Orlando/Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine

At the end of her speech, Deschamps asked those attending to observe eight minutes and 46 seconds of silence, the same amount of time police officer Derek Chauvin kept his knee on Floyd’s neck, despite the latter man’s protests that he could not breathe. Video taken by onlookers, who pleaded for Chauvin to stop, show the police officer kept his knee on Floyd’s neck even after the handcuffed man had become non-responsive. Floyd was pronounced dead after paramedics arrived.

As the crowd at Centennial Park observed silence for nearly nine minutes, Revelstoke RCMP watched through binoculars, choosing to maintain a distance between themselves and the participants. Deschamps, who had extended an invitation for the RCMP to attend, addressed the police in her speech, saying, “This system is corrupt, but these men and women who stand behind the badge are good people. I will admit there are some people behind the badge who do not stand for peace, but there are people without a badge that do not stand for peace as well and we need to acknowledge that as well.”

Participants share their experiences with racism

Residents gather in Revelstoke’s Centennial Park for a noon-hour protest in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. About 350 people gathered to hear a speech and take a nine-minute moment of silence in honour of George Floyd. Photo: Aaron Orlando/Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine

After the nearly nine minutes of silence, participants remained at the park, speaking to one another about their reasons for wanting to be part of the demonstration and sharing their own experiences of racism. One woman, a mother, agreed to share her experience on the condition her name won’t be published because she is afraid of what could happen to her children. When she spoke to me about the racism and violence her children, who are both First Nations and black, have experienced here in Revelstoke, I understand why she asked. I am a mother too, and I know how it feels to want to protect your children, even from a harm you know is more than likely inevitable.

“My children have been told to get back to the cotton fields. They’ve been called the N-word. Adults in this community have told me that certain people in this town, if given the chance, would lynch my children. It’s concerning as a parent to see your children come of age when there is so much hatred. At the same time, events like this where another youth who has experienced racism at a local level is choosing to have a voice … it gives hope for our youth to have a better understanding of acceptance.”

Gallery: Black Lives Matter protest in Centennial Park, June 4, 2020

Another woman attending the protest is mother of three children, all of whom are minorities, one child visibly so. When it comes to conversations around racism that’s happening in Revelstoke, she said people are often in disbelief, sticking to their perceptions of the reality of racism here, despite the evidence.

“The worst are the micro-aggressions; people really don’t understand it. One of my fears with my child is that she’s going to grow up alone and looking for something to represent her and something that’s more than just TV and books and movies,” the mother, whose youngest child is black. “Racism is a very real thing and it’s a very real thing in our community. My daughter’s father has been followed and people lock their doors. He’s one of the kindest people and he’s been accused of stealing … there’s just so many preconceived notions, people just jump to conclusions because of stereotypes. People don’t check their privilege. They don’t realize it and that’s one of the biggest things.”

She said often it isn’t the blatant in-your-face racists that are the most difficult to reach. Rather, it’s the people who think they’re doing good but refuse to be self-reflective when someone points out small acts of racism they may have participated in.

“That goes for all of us. We have all benefited from the [white] supremacy that our foundation is built on, and to examine that and take a good look at that system is very difficult. I don’t know why. I guess I was passionate about it before but having a child now adds to that. It adds that element of fear for your own child and what they’re going to face,” she said.

Kasey Howe, 13: ‘Listen to people who have stories’

Kasey Howe shares a story of one of the many times she has experienced racism. Video still: Aaron Orlando/Revelstoke Mountaineer

Although she is just 13 years old, Kasey Howe says she already has too many stories about the racism she’s experienced. In one particular experience, Kasey and her family had stopped at a Canadian Tire.

“We’d just left and my mom told me to bring the cart back inside and as I was leaving, I was wearing a hoodie I had borrowed from my brother … as I was walking out, I was walking behind three teenage girls and they walked out. I was asked to stop. At first I thought maybe I’d dropped something and they wanted to return it. That wasn’t the case. I was patted down by two Canadian Tire workers in front of 30 people. It was humiliating. It was awful and I don’t think I’ve ever been so mad in my life. I was 10.”

Asked what her response would be to people who say racism doesn’t happen in Revelstoke, Kasey said that thinking only adds to the problem.

“If you honest-to-god don’t think that it’s going on, it shows how privileged you are. I’ve been to America, I’ve lived here my whole life and there’s no difference between the two … so you saying it’s not the same, that it’s irrelevant here, is just making it worse […] Pay attention, look around, listen. Listen to people who have stories.”