Hundreds gather at Boise statehouse to protest police brutality, remember George Floyd
Hundreds of people gathered on the steps of the Idaho State Capitol Building in Downtown Boise on Sunday morning to remember George Floyd, a black man from Minneapolis who died last week after a police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes despite Floyd’s pleas for air.
The rally began at 10 a.m. and lasted several hours as Idahoans shared their experiences with racism and police brutality and called for justice and reform. Organizers said a vigil in Floyd’s memory will be held at Table Rock at 4:30 p.m. Sunday.
Many at the rally wore face masks and practiced social distancing to avoid spreading coronavirus. The crowd, which gathered closely on the capitol steps, was spread across the statehouse plaza and neighboring Cecil D. Andrus Park.
Though many attendees held signs reading “Black Lives Matter,” the gathering was not organized by the activist group of the same name. In recent days, several Boise rallies related to Floyd’s death were publicized on social media and subsequently canceled.
Chance Poasa, a Samoan man who helped organize Sunday’s rally, said the organizers aren’t currently affiliated with any group. Their gathering was decried by local activist Tanisha Newton and Boise City Councilwoman Lisa Sánchez, who said it was not organized locally or by black people and not focused on black voices. Poasa said those claims were untrue.
Another rally planned by the Boise chapter of Black Lives Matter for Sunday morning was canceled amid community concerns about who organized the event, according to posts on the Black Lives Matter Boise Facebook page. In a post on the Idaho Black History Museum Facebook page Saturday evening, museum director Phillip Thompson also urged the community to avoid the gatherings.
“Due to the violence that has ensued, brought about largely by outside agitators solely motivated by causing chaos, destruction, and death which in many cases is reported as being white nationalists and anarchists I implore you to stay home for your own safety,” Thompson wrote. “We will/are planning an opportunity to stand in solidarity safely. Many of the events being ‘planned’ are spurious being led by obscure, unknown, not local individuals.”
Yet another image shared on social media showed George Floyd surrounded by flowers and said a “black-led event” would be held on the capitol steps at 10 a.m. on Sunday in solidarity with Minneapolis.
It’s not clear which rally attendees were turning out to support, but Poasa said he was pleasantly surprised by the turnout.
“What we really were here to do is to organize words of power. We wanted people to be heard,” Poasa said in a phone interview.
Poasa said he spoke with the Boise Police Department to ensure peaceful protesters wouldn’t be targeted for arrest. He also said the organizers chose to gather rather than march in the streets to try to prevent any violence.
Cities including Minneapolis, Los Angeles, New York City, Atlanta, Seattle and Chicago have erupted in protests following Floyd’s death. Police in some cities have marched alongside protesters while law enforcement in other cities have sprayed protesters with pepper spray and rubber bullets.
In the Treasure Valley, several law enforcement officials have spoken out against the actions of Derek Chauvin, the former officer who knelt on Floyd’s neck and has since been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. They also criticized three other officers who were part of the incident.
“Officers across our department have also been answering your questions, and like you, were outraged by what happened to Mr. Floyd, especially recognizing multiple officers had the opportunity to intervene and likely save his life,” wrote Boise Police Department’s acting chief, Ron Winegar, on the department’s Facebook page on Saturday.
“It breaks my heart to see a great community like Minneapolis in such turmoil, all because the trust between the police department and citizens was shattered by an officer who callously and casually killed George Floyd — and the three others who sat back and didn’t do enough to stop it,” wrote Ada County Sheriff Stephen Bartlett in a statement shared on social media.
Garden City Police Chief Rick Allen also shared his thoughts on Floyd’s death.
“Please know that as law enforcement officers we do not support or condone the actions of the officers who dealt with Mr. Floyd,” he said in a social media statement. “In the eyes of our officers we think that those officers failed to perform their duties with honor and integrity and should be held accountable. The citizens should expect and demand more of their law enforcement.”
This story was originally published May 31, 2020 at 2:42 PM.
