SHERIDAN -- A small group of protesters converged on the Grant County Courthouse square Monday to voice their support of the Black Lives Matter movement and to protest what they said is systemic racism that devalues the lives of black people in America.
Initially, about a dozen protesters stood at the top steps of the north entrance of the courthouse holding signs and attracting a variety of reactions from passersby -- from hostile, to mocking, to supportive. A red Jeep drove past the courthouse flying a large flag from its rear bumper that was emblazoned on one side with the Confederate Stars and Bars and on the other with the American flag.
As evening came, the number of protesters grew to at least 30 people.
Dustin Spruill of Sheridan, who organized the protest, said only a couple of incidents marred the otherwise peaceful gathering. At one point, he said, a motorcyclist stopped in front of the courthouse and began revving his engine and yelling at the group.
"He was yelling at us that he bet we couldn't talk over his engine," Spruill said. "The police moved in right away and told him to shut it down, that we had a right to protest."
At the end of the night, Spruill said one of the protesters walked to the opposite side of the courthouse to offer water to some people sitting there.
"She offered them water but offered it to the wrong people," he said. "They had gotten hot-headed and started yelling at her and cussing her and she got a little upset and started yelling back. Then they started threatening violence so the police were called in."
Spruill said no arrests were made and the incident did not escalate to a physical altercation.
Present-day Grant County was once part of Hot Spring, Saline and Jefferson counties, according to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Gov. Powell Clayton signed a bill creating Grant County on Feb. 4, 1869. The population of the county, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, is 18,265 residents, 2.8% of whom are black.
"Those behind the creation of the new county had been supporters of the Union during the war, so they named the new county after General Ulysses S. Grant and the county seat after General Philip H. Sheridan. Residents tried several times to change the names but failed," according to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas.
Kay Meyer, a Sheridan resident, sat with a friend in a pickup facing the north side steps, the engine running and air conditioner on to beat back the heat and humidity of the mid-June Arkansas afternoon, watching the gathering.
"I get upset when I see Black Lives Matter. It's not just blacks," Meyer said. "If you're poor and have no money, the cops will do whatever they want with you. A lot of cops, especially in small towns, are corrupt and when they put on the gun they think they're 9 feet tall and bulletproof and can do anything they want to you."
"One thing that people have to remember though, it's not just about being poor," said Spruill . "I grew up poor, myself. But when people see poor, they see one other thing too, and that's the color of your skin."
Spruill said the notion of white privilege, to him, has nothing to do with money, but everything to do with perception.
"My version of white privilege is, you can walk down the street without getting looked at funny," he said. "You can walk hand in hand with your spouse without getting yelled at, you can drive down the street and as long as you aren't doing anything illegal, you don't have to worry about getting pulled over by the police. But a lot of African Americans, they are not like that. They are constantly in fear."
As the number of protesters began to grow, Spruill gathered everyone into a tight circle and issued instructions.
"If they yell at you, do not feed into it," he said as, in the background, a driver in a truck with broken mufflers gunned the engine. "That right there, do not feed into it. If you feed into it, they will cause drama and when they cause drama, we get blamed for it. If anything happens, we'll get blamed. If someone yells in your face, put your sign up and walk away.
"This is a peaceful protest and we are all here as one family," he continued. "We are as Americans standing against racism, that is what we are here for."
Kip Brown of Little Rock, one of the speakers at the protest, said although the number of protesters was small, there was a lot of support for the cause among people in Sheridan.
"There are a lot of white people in Sheridan who would love to sit on these steps with you, but they are afraid," Brown said, talking through an amplified bullhorn. "I got so many texts and messages from people who were afraid to come out here on these steps."
Brown said that since the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis at the hands of police, more people have woken up to the plight of black people under an entrenched system of racism, and more people are speaking out.
"My folks, black people, we died in this country, we fought in this country, like everybody else, we helped build this country," he said. "This belongs to all of us and I want to let you know something, until 14 days ago the primary conscience in this country was white supremacy, but no more. You are now the primary conscience in this country."