Now that the National Guard has left Washington, D.C., fears of tear gas and pepper spray have abated, and for the groups remaining outside the White House, advocacy is entering a new stage.
WASHINGTON — Three miles of black chain-link fence wrapped around the perimeters of the White House, designed to keep Americans away from the seat of U.S. power, were transformed into a memorial of their grief and anguish.
Evans went to the White House to pay his respects and get a photo in front of the fence-turned-memorial’s centerpiece: a sprawling black flag with “Black lives matter” emblazoned in block letters. “I feel like it’s easing up now, but we’re going to wait for the conviction. If [the cops] aren’t convicted, then I think unfortunately we’re going to see a different outcome on the streets. America may be turned upside down,” said Waters. “I’ll tell my kids and grandkids that I was down here marching in front of the White House, making our voices known. It’s really powerful.”
He’s less enthused with the idea that change begins and ends at the ballot box, pointing toward police brutality under former President Barack Obama, the first and only black president. And, at least anecdotally, that message was being heard by white protesters outside the White House. Some were handing out first-aid supplies, water and Gatorade, while one went a sweeter route. Cornelia Smith, a 23-year-old recent Columbia graduate who’s been at the protests for about two weeks, was giving banana bread to strangers. She doesn’t always bring snacks, though she finds it a way to offer some sustenance, and maybe a little joy, too, during a painful time.
“No matter what happens, people are going to keep showing up until there is definite change that happens, and that’s not just going to be with police budgets and not just going to be getting certain officials elected,” said Smith. “It’s going to take a lot of time.”
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