Sometimes change happens quietly, and sometimes there is a quiet — almost imperceptible –shift in consciousness on a social issue that surprises.
A vigil held on this Memorial Day to remember people killed by law enforcement officers and encourage police reform was organized around the belief that messages can sometimes be heard best when people are quietest. About 50 people gathered for the “Say Their Name” vigil organized by Concerned Citizens for Justice (CC4J) at the Bidwell Park One Mile.
They were encouraged to fan out around the pool to quietly stand with a placard in honor of someone who had been killed by a local law enforcement agency. But the turnout for an event that had been set up quickly was surprisingly high, prompting some to wonder if there should have been an agenda that included more activity.
“We had in mind that this would be a vigiling kind of gathering for people who have died at the hands of law enforcement,” said CC4J coordinator Emily Alma, noting that George Floyd was killed on Memorial Day, 2020, in Minneapolis.
Photo by Leslie Layton
Chicoan Char Prieto participated in the Memorial Day vigil.
A vigil held on this Memorial Day to remember people killed by law enforcement officers and encourage police reform was organized around the belief that messages can sometimes be heard best when people are quietest. About 50 people gathered for the “Say Their Name” vigil organized by Concerned Citizens for Justice (CC4J) at the Bidwell Park One Mile.
CC4J provided a list of 31 people who they said have been killed by a Butte County law enforcement agency during the past 20 years, and a list of 967 people who were killed by law enforcement officers in the past year across the nation. Vigil participants wrote out the name of someone on the list and carried a placard for that person around the One Mile Recreation Area.
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