By SARAH THOMACK
St. Joseph Post
A group that has organized protests in St. Joseph and an event to start conversations with law enforcement is working toward change and unity all while keeping things peaceful.
After the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25th, protests began around the world, some turning violent.
The local ‘United We Stand’ group has been not only holding peaceful protests in St. Joseph, but helped put on an event that brought community members and law enforcement officers together for conversations.
“Not just one of us, all of us, all of the protesters helped put it together,” says Tyann Rowland Jones, a St. Joseph resident. “I’m pretty proud, really. I just think it’s a huge start. We needed this. I’ve been here all my life and it’s a racist town and I think this is good. Really good.”
The United We Stand Facebook group page states its reason for gathering together is unity and to fight forward for justice, equality, and peace.
"We are invested in our community, we have either experienced injustice ourselves or know someone who has, and we want better. Enough is enough," the group's 'About' page states.
Rowland Jones, along with Ashley Steverson of Cleveland, Ohio, say they've had to deal with some ignorance, but the protests so far have been very peaceful.
“I just want people to stop the racism,” Rowland Jones says. “I have a 5-year-old niece and she’s mixed and I don’t want my niece ever thinking that she should choose between her white mom or her black dad. It’s not right. Stop teaching your kids racism. It’s not ok, you know? Everybody’s equal.”
Terresa Parks has also taken part in the St. Joseph protests, which the group has worked to keep peaceful and to end before dark.
“We have had a couple people show up and try to incite us to go against the police. People posing as ex-police officers that left the job because they’re so corrupt and we’re like, ‘Get out of here, we’re not about that,’” Parks says. “When you see them (protesters, honk, give them a fist pump. Standing out in the heat, it gets a little redundant, but they’re ruthless, they’re not going anywhere. On Sunday, there was people throwing things at them and I’m back here fuming like, ‘Oh my gosh Mama Bear’s about to snap into action.' But it didn’t change anything, we didn’t throw anything… we expected it when we got here.”
Parks encourages having conversations and listening to individual's reasons for being involved in the protests.
“Why I’m there is completely different from a 17-year-old white woman, why I’m there is completely different from a 30-year-old black man. I’m there because I want to change this culture before my grandkids get faced with it,” Parks says. “We believe ‘Blue Lives Matter’ or we’d be out here allowing these people to fuel the ‘F the police’ statements… we know it’s not happening here, we’re hurt, but it’s not our officers. When we say ‘Black Lives Matter,’ it’s because something else has slapped us in the face. We have to look a different way, we have to talk a different way, we have to walk a different way, we’re still never even equal. It’s not as bad as my parents went through or my grandparents went through but it’s still something I don’t want for my grandkids or the remainder of my life even.”
For more information, visit the United We Stand-St. Joseph, MO Facebook page.
