Trayvon Martin Justice March - Oakland, CA

In Oakland for the week on a conference, I was able to join the city's residents Monday night in their 3rd day of protests against the Zimmerman acquittal in the Trayvon Martin shooting case. It was an inspiring event. We gathered at Oscar Grant Plaza in the early evening, and marched as a group to take the city streets. 

Protestors gather at Oscar Grant Plaza in downtown Oakland.

Black, Latino, Asian-American, White, people with disabilities, kids, elderly individuals, all marched together, chanting "No Justice, No Peace" and echoing Trayvon's name. The signs bore poignant messages about racism today, mass incarceration, and white supremacy. I chatted with the people around me about their reasons for marching, conditions in their communities, and the relationship between Oakland activists and police. 

One marcher's sign bore the message: "White Supremacy is a White Problem."

At one point, when the police blocked our planned march route, a group of the protestors took an alternative path, marching up onto the freeway and blocking traffic for about 15 minutes. We then regrouped and continued marching together through the city and around the city lake. After 2 hours, I decided to head back to my hostel to get some much-needed rest. But the march was by no means dwindling; in fact it was continuing to grow, as more and more folks got word and came out to express their demands for racial justice.

Police line blocking planned route of march.

March moves to Lake Merritt.

When I checked the news in the morning, I was surprised to see coverage primarily focused on the minor vandalism and one physical confrontation that occurred later in the night. To me, the main message of the entire protest was lost; there was no discussion in the major news sources of the collective energy, the insightful critiques of structural racism, and the community building that the protest represented for the grand majority of the marchers. 

Police arresting one of the protestors after the freeway was blocked.

While some would criticize the protestors who engaged in violent acts as detracting from the peaceful aspects of the march, I would direct my criticism completely to the media that sensationalize the Oakland protests rather than present a holistic portrayal of events. I also recognize that, in the face of this reminder of the immensity and, oftentimes, unyielding power of institutional racism in our nation and cities today, it is not surprising that some people will express their outrage with vandalism.

Declarations of hope in the windows of local businesses.

Being in Oakland, I was able to witness the breadth and diversity of the movement for racial justice in the city. It is both an infuriating and inspiring time.