Houston anti-racist protests leads to clash
Houston, TX – Over 15 people protested outside of the Houston Police Department, Oct. 21, to demand justice for Alva Braziel, an African American man murdered by the police in July. The protesters confronted the police who were guarding the police headquarters.
For over an hour, protesters held signs and denounced police crimes, demanding an end to the killings of African American people by the police. Some called for community control of the police, and everyone demanded that the cops be indicted for their crimes.
During the rally, a racist man waiting at a bus stop shouted “All lives matter!” The protesters ran across the street, surrounded him, and chanted “Black lives matter!” The police immediately ran to the defense of the racist, and escorted him away.
The next day, Oct. 22, a march was held through downtown Houston, on the busiest evening in the week. Protesters again marched to the Houston Police Department, and gave speeches. A driver slowed down and yelled a racist slur, so protesters surrounded his car and demanded that he apologize. He rolled up the window and could only drive away when the police came to his defense.
After rallying outside the Houston police headquarters, the protesters marched down Main Street and stopped at all the clubs to rally. Hundreds of people came out to watch and many gave nods of support.
However, during the rally a young man at a bar started yelling racist obscenities. The protesters started chanting, “Hey, hey! Ho, ho! These racist cops have got to go!” The young racist then assaulted one of the protesters, and a scuffle broke out. The cops showed up to defend the racist and attempted to arrest one of the protesters without any cause. The police did not arrest or charge the racist who started it.
A student leading the protest said, “These racist cops continue to kill Black people and get away with it. Through the media, they promote racism and get the public to support the police. The man who assaulted the student was clearly under the influence of such racist propaganda. We are here today to call for an end to racism, and demand that the police stop killing Black and Brown people.”
Both protests were led by the Peoples New Black Panther Party. More protests are scheduled for next week.