HARRISON -- About 300 people gathered Thursday night along Main Street on the downtown Harrison square to protest the killing of George Floyd, who died on May 25 while being arrested by Minneapolis police.
Protesters chanted "Silence is violence," "Equality is justice" and "I can't breathe."
Across the street, about 15 people -- some armed with assault rifles -- monitored the protest from in front of Freeland's Barber Shop, a former gas station where American and Confederate flags fly out front.
But the groups kept their distance.
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Similar protests were also held Thursday night in Little Rock, Fort Smith and Cabot, and a car rally was held in Pine Bluff.
Sometimes cited as a racially biased enclave, Harrison has worked hard to change its image, going so far as to establish a Harrison Community Task Force for Race Relations.
Less than 1% of Harrison's 12,949 population is black, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Kevin Cheri of Harrison said he was moved by the protest.
"There are lots of good, caring people here who are all supportive of inclusiveness within our society but that have now come out and shown their faces, and they're out here actively cheering for change and supporting this effort because they believe in it, they truly believe in it," said Cheri, who serves on the task force.
"To see this happen now, as a black man within this community, I'm proud of them," said Cheri, who is a retired superintendent of the Buffalo National River. "I'm proud that they are willing to show themselves as being actively supportive of change in this country."
MARCH IN CABOT
Protesters in Cabot walked nearly 7 miles Thursday evening alongside local police officers as onlookers lined the parking lots on either side of Arkansas 89 through the town.
The march -- which began at Tractor Supply Co. and followed the highway to Walmart -- was peaceful, and it concluded with demonstrators and law enforcement officers hugging and taking photos together.
The largely young and white crowd of about 300 surprised police and protest organizers alike. Brianna Perkins of Lonoke said she and other organizers expected a much smaller group.
"When we first started this we thought we might have nine people show up," she said. "We were getting death threats and our addresses exposed on social media. It went better than expected, and we appreciate everyone who came out."
There were several men who followed the march with military-style weapons, including semi-automatic rifles and a shotgun with a pistol grip. Similarly, there were some people positioned along the protesters' route who were armed.
Several declined to give their names, saying they were there to ensure that no property was destroyed.
Several trucks also passed the protesters, displaying Confederate flags and yelling "white power."
In addition to throngs of law enforcement officers from several local agencies, Cabot Mayor Ken Kincade and state Sen. Ricky Hill, R-Cabot, attended parts of the demonstration.
Kincade addressed the protesters, welcoming them to the city and praying with them.
Cabot, several protesters and officials said, was a surprising place for a large demonstration about police treatment of black Americans with its reputation as a "white-flight" city just outside Little Rock. Kincade acknowledged as much in an online statement Thursday morning.
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"We support the efforts to bring awareness to racism," he wrote on Facebook. "If we take an honest look at our town's past, we have to acknowledge the fact that we were labeled a racist community at one time in our history and part of that stigma still lingers today. It's not something to be proud of, and I don't believe it's who we are today. Racism is real and conversations need to happen around kitchen tables about being accepting and understanding of all people who look different than we do."
Lonoke County Sheriff John Staley took a lot of pictures and spoke with many of the demonstrators. He commended them for a peaceful demonstration. Nearly all of the demonstrators had dispersed by about 8:40 p.m. The protest began at 5 p.m.
Protesters left Tractor Supply Co. and marched to the Cabot Police Department's headquarters. There, they stopped and knelt for 8 minutes and 46 seconds -- the amount of time a white Minnesota police officer knelt on the neck of Floyd.
They continued through the heart of Cabot, stopping traffic in one location to cross over U.S. 67/167 before arriving at Walmart where they chanted for several minutes before returning to Tractor Supply.
They chanted: "No justice, no peace. No racist police," "black lives matter" and "hands up, don't shoot."
Justin Crane of Austin was one of dozens who parked in parking lots along the highway to watch the march. He watched with his young daughter.
"It's surprising [how many protesters participated]. I saw how big it was on Facebook, so I thought it might be a good thing to bring her to see," he said, nodding toward his daughter.
Anthony Monts, another organizer from Lonoke, said he and other organizers encountered racism growing up in Lonoke County.
"We're from this county, so we wanted to spread awareness in this county," he said.
FORT SMITH PROTEST
In Fort Smith, about 200 people of various races came together under the hot afternoon sun to express their desire for change. That protest started at 4 p.m. and continued until about 8 p.m. at Rogers Avenue and South Waldron Road.
Among the many signs that were held high were those carrying messages such as "black lives matter more than white feelings," "being black is not a crime," and "your silence speaks volumes."
Cass Lopeman, the main organizer of the protest, said the biggest message she wanted to send through the protest, was that until the day that someone of color can walk down the street with just as much privilege as she, a white person, was given at birth by society, this will continue.
"And everybody, we are all human," Lopeman said. "We all bleed the same, and nobody is any less, or any different, just because their skin color is different than your's."
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For the most part, Lopeman said the Fort Smith Police Department was present to stand with the protesters and to ensure that they were safe.
Members of the Fort Smith Police Department monitored the situation and helped carry coolers to protesters while passing drivers honked their horns in support.
PINE BLUFF RALLY
Things were a bit different in Pine Bluff.
Under the watchful eye of the Pine Bluff Police Department, a "solidarity rally" was held on the steps of the Pine Bluff Civic Center near downtown Thursday evening.
The crowd of about 300 remained in their vehicles in the parking lot and adjacent street.
Because of concerns about the coronavirus, the rally was broadcast live by Deltaplex Radio in Pine Bluff so participants could remain in their cars.
Kymara Seals, policy director for the nonprofit Arkansas Public Policy Panel and one of the main organizers of the rally, said part of the goal of the rally was to direct the anger that people feel over Floyd's death in positive directions to effect systemic changes.
"We chose to use the term rally instead of protest because in this current environment the word protest is supercharged," Seals said. "We didn't want to send the wrong message in our community, and we wanted a peaceful rally because we are adamant about standing in solidarity with our brothers and sisters across the nation who are fighting for social justice and equity, and we are joining the national outcry for justice for George Floyd."
Speakers at the rally included Mayor Shirley Washington, state Sen. Stephanie Flowers and state Rep. Vivian Flowers -- both Democrats from Pine Bluff -- civil rights attorney Furonda Brasfield, and Pine Bluff Police Chief Kelvin Sergeant.
They urged attendees to get involved in the political process by speaking out and by educating themselves about political candidates, and by voting.
Each speaker's remarks were punctuated by a cacophony of horns honking in approval.
Thursday's rally was the first in Pine Bluff since Floyd's death May 25.
Greg Gustek, the city treasurer, arrived just before the rally began.
"I just got my paper in the mail and opened it up and saw the notice about this," he said. "I hadn't heard anything about it before, and I'm not really dressed for it but I wanted to show my support so I just came like I am."
City Council member Joni Alexander said she was pleased to see so many people at the rally but she was disappointed to not see more young people there.
"There's not a lot of younger people, or my generation, millennials out here, and that's one of my biggest hang-ups is that we're not civicly engaged," Alexander said. "But it's also good to see an older crowd out here because a lot of the protests going on around the country have been younger people. I guess it's a good indication of who is the most politically active in Pine Bluff."
BACK IN HARRISON
In Harrison, about 8 p.m., the hourlong protest wound down and the crowd began to disperse. About that time, a large white diesel pickup drove by and blew plumes of black smoke out of the pipes in front of the crowd. It's a practice called "rolling coal" that's popular among some young men in Harrison.
A Harrison police officer yelled at the truck and walked out in the street to get the tag number, but it was obscured by black soot.
Daniella Scott, the protest organizer, said the event went "pretty great."
"I wanted to do this in honor of George Floyd," Scott said. "Every other place has been having protests around the country and around the world. I didn't see why Harrison couldn't do one. Obviously, we can."
Harrison has been dogged by image problems since race riots in 1905 and 1909 that drove all but one black person out of the city. The problem was exacerbated in the 1980s when Thom Robb, national director of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, moved to rural Boone County and began using a Harrison post office box for the group's mailing address.
Metro on 06/05/2020