“It could have happened here”
Lewis Marien • Daily Egyptian Desmon Walker, left, a junior from Champaign studying business management and president of the Alpha Phi Alpha SIU student chapter, and JaPone Johnson, a senior from Chicago studying criminal justice participate in the Hands Up, Don’t Shoot Rally Monday in front of Grinnell Hall. Alpha Phi Alpha and Alpha Kappa Alpha organized the rally that featured guest speakers talking about the recent violence in Ferguson, Mo. “We wanted this event to be peaceful and basically shed light on what happened and not necessarily the senseless things following after the rioting,” Walker said.
August 17, 2014
Nearly 100 students and faculty rallied Monday evening in front of Grinnell Hall to raise awareness of the crisis in Ferguson, Mo.
At the event, organized by Alpha Phi Alpha and Alpha Kappa Alpha, community members discussed the aftermath of the death of Michael Brown, 18, who was reportedly unarmed when shot by a St. Louis County police officer on August 9.
Desmon Walker, a junior from Champaign studying business and finance, led the rally with opening statements regarding the timeline of the past week.
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“We want people to be aware of what happened,” Walker, president of Alpha Phi Alpha, said. “Aware of both sides of the story because the officers’ version varies greatly from what other witnesses are saying.”
Walker said he hoped those attending have a peaceful reflection of people suffering from the events in Ferguson.
“This could have happened anywhere, it could have happened here,” Walker said.
Marquita Winston, a junior from St. Louis studying criminal justice and psychology, recited a poem she wrote for the crowd conveying her personal thoughts on the injustice of the situation. Winston ended the poem with the statement, “because I could have been Mike Brown.”
Nathan Stephens, director for the Center of Inclusive Excellence, spoke of his first-hand experience with racism. He said he questions whether media or activism was a stronger method of change.
“Is a one-million-strong Facebook group more, or less meaningful and impactful than a dozen activists storming a building?” he said.
Stephens said it is the younger generation’s duty to be active in the movement to ensure changes in the way situations like these are handled. A great way to work with the younger generation is by mentoring, he said.
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The rally ended with a group photo, where everyone raised their arms, counted to three and yelled, “Don’t shoot.”
Many similar photos have been posted on social media within the last week. The “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” movement has become popular on social media, with more than 17,000 posts with the hashtag #handsupdontshoot on Instagram alone.
Sarah Niebrugge can be reached at [email protected], on Twitter @SNiebrugge_DE, or at 536-3311 ext. 264
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