• About
    • About Us
    • What We Cover
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Our Advertisers
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Send News
  • Subscribe

Oak Ridge Today

  • Home
  • Sign in
  • News
    • Business
    • Community
    • Education
    • Government
    • Health
    • Police and Fire
    • U.S. Department of Energy
    • Weather
  • Sports
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • Recreation
    • Rowing
    • Youth
  • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Dancing
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Premium Content
  • Obituaries
  • Classifieds




More than 1,000 protest for equality, police reforms, end of racism

Posted at 10:38 pm June 10, 2020
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Hundreds of people march from Oak Ridge High School to the Civic Center for a Black Lives Matter protest on Tuesday afternoon, June 2, 2020. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Note: This story was updated at 9:45 a.m. June 11.

More than 1,000 people marched and protested in Oak Ridge last week, asking for equal treatment for black people.

They said the nation is obligated to fight systemic racism, racial inequality, and police brutality. They want to live without fear. They advocated for police reforms, accountability, and the use of de-escalation tactics.

Protesters hope to end 400 years of oppression that started with slavery in America in 1619 and continued after the Civil War with attacks on black people, lynchings, the Ku Klux Klan, segregation, discrimination, and racism. That oppression has been felt in Oak Ridge, and some young adults and teenagers said they have experienced or witnessed racism.

Protesters said they were angry, upset, and frustrated. They called the death of George Floyd while he was detained by police in Minneapolis last month a murder. They recalled the deaths of other black men and boys, some killed by police and others by citizens. They acknowledged that there are many good police officers, but they condemned police officers who they said hide behind their badges to do wicked deeds.

“Enough is enough,” protesters said. “We are done dying.”

Hundreds of people meet at Oak Ridge High School before marching to Oak Ridge Civic Center for a Black Lives Matter protest on Tuesday afternoon, June 2, 2020. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Protesters met at Oak Ridge High School Tuesday afternoon, June 2, and marched to the Oak Ridge Civic Center. They carried signs and wore T-shirts that said “Black Lives Matter” and “I can’t breathe.” They chanted “No justice, no peace” and, led by organizer Trevor King, “Make racism illegal.” Silence is compliance, the protesters said, and silence in the face of evil is itself evil.

They said racism still exists in America, including in health care, job hiring practices, and in who is pulled over by police and who is charged.

They said they want America to live up to its values, its promise of liberty and justice for all. They cited this foundational line from the Declaration of Independence:

“We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776

“This to me means everyone should have the right to live in this country without fear,” said Stephen Barnes, one of the speakers featured at the protest.

They aren’t asking for black lives to matter more, the protesters said. They just want black lives to matter as much.

They asked people to not use stereotypes. They said it is important to acknowledge that racism is a problem, and they pointed out the value of white people apologizing.

They said they want to be included.

“We just want to be heard, accepted, cared about,” speaker Don Colquitt said.

More than 1,200 people attend a Black Lives Matter protest at the Oak Ridge Civic Center on Tuesday afternoon, June 2, 2020. (Photo courtesy Mike Mahathy)

More than 1,200 people attended the Tuesday protest. Some were critical of what they said is a lack of leadership from President Donald Trump.

The Tuesday protest in Oak Ridge was one of hundreds across the country these past few weeks after George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died in Minneapolis on May 25 as a white police officer kneeled on his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds as two other officers held Floyd down. Police had responded to a call about a counterfeit $20 bill.

The white police officer who held Floyd down, Derek Chauvin, 44, has been charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. Three other officers at the scene, including the other two holding Floyd down, have been charged with aiding and abetting in Floyd’s death: J. Kueng, Thomas Lane, and Tou Thao. All four have been fired from the Minneapolis Police Department.

As he lay dying, Floyd told police that he couldn’t breathe.

Pastor Henry Watson of Mount Zion Baptist Church in Oak Ridge called it a senseless murder. Some officers will hide behind their badge and do wicked deeds, Watson said.

“The only way that this can be stopped is for our voices to be heard,” he said.

Protesters wear “I can’t breathe” T-shirts and carry signs at the Oak Ridge Civic Center on Tuesday afternoon, June 2, 2020. (Photo courtesy Jeff Tidwell)

Pastor Derrick Hammond of Oak Valley Baptist Church, who is black and an Oak Ridge City Council member, also called it a murder, although he said he hasn’t been able to watch the video.

Floyd’s death was a flashpoint, Hammond said during a small group discussion about race on Tuesday morning. Thousands of white people have marched and protested with thousands of black people since Floyd’s death.

Hammond said white America has been able to justify the deaths of other black men and boys with dismissals like “Well, he was a thug,” or “Well, he shouldn’t have done that.”

But every once in a while, there is a death that can’t be justified, and it shocks the white conscience, Hammond said.

“In many ways, (the death of) George Floyd was so horrific that it shocked the white conscience,” Hammond said.

Oak Ridge Police Chief Robin Smith could not explain what Minneapolis police officers were doing in the video of Floyd’s death. The police officers’ actions do not comport with what the Oak Ridge Police Department practices or teaches, Smith said.

“That’s not how we do it,” he said.

In Oak Ridge, police officers will move a detained person up into what is called a rescue position once the person is under control, Smith said.

Smith, who said he became a police officer because he wanted to protect people from bullies, could not explain why the three officers with Chauvin did not intervene. Either they condoned what Chauvin was doing and thought it was appropriate, or they did not feel it was safe for them to “speak up,” Smith said.

Smith said he wants ORPD officers to feel safe to “speak up” when they see something that is not appropriate. It has to be safe for the community to address problems as well, Smith said.

Protesters wear “I can’t breathe” T-shirts and carry signs at the Oak Ridge Civic Center on Tuesday afternoon, June 2, 2020. (Photo courtesy Jeff Tidwell)

Protesters on Tuesday offered hope that Americans can change, and they were encouraged by the large, diverse turnout. But racism needs to be acknowledged, said King, the protest organizer.

“Everyone just needs to become a good person,” he said.

But if you’re truly serious about “moving forward,” you will be made uncomfortable, Hammond said.

He said white people have asked him, since Floyd’s death, what they can do.

He said white people have to redefine what they consider murder. It’s not just the unlawful killing of someone, he said. It’s the biblical definition—the killing of an innocent person. If the killing of George Floyd is murder, then the killing of Trayvon Martin, 17, by former neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman in Florida in 2012 is also murder, Hammond said.

“For a black person, all of them look like this,” he said. “It’s all murder.”

A protester wears a mask that says “Silence is compliance” at a Black Lives Matter protest that started with a march from Oak Ridge High School to the Oak Ridge Civic Center on Tuesday afternoon, June 2, 2020. (Photo courtesy Jeff Tidwell)

White people have to confront their own hypocrisy, Hammond said.

If white people want black people to think not all whites are racist and not all police are bad, then white people have to accept that not all blacks are thugs or criminals, not all Muslims are terrorists, and not all immigrants are illegal, Hammond said.

He said those who want to support justice for George Floyd have to kneel with Colin Kaepernick as well.

Kaepernick is an NFL quarterback who kneeled during the national anthem in 2016 to peacefully protest social injustice and police brutality in America. That made white people uncomfortable, Hammond said. Kaepernick played for the San Francisco 49ers, but he split with them the following March and has been unable to play in the league since then.

The protest led by Kaepernick has been criticized by Trump.

Hammond said people did not do enough to learn why Kaepernick was kneeling.

“You cannot stand with us in regards to George Floyd and refuse to kneel with Colin Kaepernick,” Hammond said.

Hammond said there is much work to be done, and Tuesday’s protest has to be a movement, not a moment.

“This is the beginning,” he said.

Protest organizer Trevor King, right, and pastor Derrick Hammond, an Oak Ridge City Council member, are pictured above during a Black Lives Matter protest at the Oak Ridge Civic Center on Tuesday afternoon, June 2, 2020. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Besides Hammond, three other City Council members, as well as two Oak Ridge police officers, marched with protesters from the High School to the Civic Center last week, although the march and protest were not organized by the city.

Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch, one of those City Council members, said the Book of Isaiah instructs Christians to “stop doing wrong; learn to do right; seek justice; and encourage the oppressed.”

The city condemned racism, bigotry, discrimination, hatred, and violence in September 2017. That condemnation followed a deadly white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. The city reaffirmed equal rights for all, and it condemned all actions that violate fundamental rights delineated in the Declaration of Independence, guaranteed by the United States Constitution, and incorporated in the Oak Ridge City Charter, Gooch said.

More than 1,200 people participate in a Black Lives Matter protest at the Oak Ridge Civic Center on Tuesday afternoon, June 2, 2020. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Last week’s march began at Oak Ridge High School. That was appropriate, Gooch said, because 65 years ago the school became one of the first integrated high schools in the South.

Oak Ridge police officers were welcomed and thanked at Tuesday’s protest, including by Gooch and Hammond. Led by Hammond, ministers prayed for the police officers.

Black Lives Matter protesters block counter-protesters at Oak Ridge Civic Center on Tuesday afternoon, June 2, 2020. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

King, the protest organizer, said Oak Ridge proved that protests can be done peacefully. There were two counter-protesters, but protesters surrounded them and hid their counter-protest signs with protest signs. Eventually, the counter-protesters left. They carried signs that said “White safety matters” and “Black crimes matter.” One wore a red Trump campaign hat that said “Make America great again.”

Organizers worked to ensure that the counter-protest didn’t become a distraction.

A memorial marker at the Wheat Community African Burial Ground in west Oak Ridge says there were at least 19 enslaved people in 1860 on the Laurel Banks plantation along the Clinch River, where the East Tennessee Technology Park (the former K-25 site) is now. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Slavery, segregation

The history of oppression in Oak Ridge and the area that is now Oak Ridge dates back almost 200 years or more.

In the 1800s, there was a plantation named Laurel Banks along the Clinch River in what is now west Oak Ridge, according to a memorial marker at the African Burial Ground in the former Wheat community. The plantation was in operation as early as 1810, and possibly 1805. It was where the East Tennessee Technology Park (the former K-25 site) is now. The plantation was owned and operated by John Henry and Elizabeth Inman Welcker until they died in 1838 and 1840.

In 1847, George Hamilton Gallaher Sr. bought Laurel Banks.

By 1860, his estate was valued at $36,000, according to the Roane County Census. The estate included $25,000 worth of real estate and at least 19 slaves, according to the memorial marker.

The African Burial Ground, which has been referred to as a slave cemetery and the Gallaher-Stone Cemetery, may have between 90 and 100 graves, and they are presumed to have been the burial places for enslaved people. The graves do not have inscribed markers. Today, some are marked with stones.

“It is presumed that slaves who once belonged to the Welckers and Gallahers and some of their descendants are buried here,” the memorial marker said. “It is also possible that slaves and their descendants who live on other farms in the area are buried here. Some of the other families that owned slaves and lived in the vicinity were the Burums, Carmichaels, Staples, Henleys, Ellis, and Rathers. We will never know the names of those buried here.”

A display at the new K-25 History Museum talks about the segregation of African Americans in Oak Ridge during the Manhattan Project in World War II. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Decades later, the Wheat community and others in the area were displaced by the city that is now Oak Ridge. It was built to help produce atomic bombs as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project during World War II.

African Americans were segregated in Oak Ridge, and life was difficult for them, according to a display about segregation at the U.S. Department of Energy’s new K-25 History Museum. They were housed in hutments in Happy Valley, Wheat Colony, and a separate residential area in Townsite. Husbands and wives couldn’t live together, the history display said. Women were housed in a fenced-off area called the “Pen,” and guards patrolled its one entrance.

“Even worse, African American children were not allowed in Oak Ridge until after the war,” the display said. “Seeking work in Oak Ridge required parents to leave their children at home.”

There were separate roads and fencing that divided black areas from white, which isolated African American residents, the display said. There were also separate cafeterias, recreational centers, drinking fountains, and bathrooms. African Americans were barred from the city pool and the movie theater, and they had fewer entertainment options than their white counterparts, the history display said.

Life has changed, including after slavery ended with the Civil War and the 13th Amendment in 1865, and after school desegregation in the 1950s and the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. But racism continues. Four young adults and teenagers at the Tuesday morning discussion about race said they have experienced or witnessed racism, including at Oak Ridge High School and at East Tennessee State University. In one case, a young woman said an administrator was dismissive of racist behavior toward her during her sophomore year at ORHS. She said she documented and reported the racist behavior, but an administrator said “Oh, he didn’t mean that,” and an apology from her male classmate seemed coerced.

Asked about potential solutions, King said people should change themselves and have conversations. Be a good person, and do the right thing, King said.

“All we need is for you to simply acknowledge that there is a problem,” he said.

See a Facebook video of most of last week’s protest at the Oak Ridge Civic Center by Kayla Boone here.

Filed Under: Churches, Community, Community, Front Page News, Government, Police and Fire, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: African American, African Burial Ground, Black Lives Matter, Black Lives Matter protest, civil rights, Civil War, David Allred, Derek Chauvin, Derrick Hammond, Don Colquitt, equality, George Floyd, George Hamilton Gallaher Sr., Henry Watson, John Henry and Elizabeth Inman Welcker, K-25 History Museum, Laurel Banks, Manhattan Project, oppression, police brutality, police reform, racial inequality, racism, Robin Smith, segregation, slavery, Stephen Barnes, systematic racism, Trevor King, Warren Gooch, Wheat

Advertisements

 

Join the club!

If you appreciate our work, please consider subscribing. Besides helping us, your subscription will give you access to our premium content.

Most of our stories are free, brought to you by Oak Ridge Today with help from our members—advertisers, subscribers, and sponsors.

But some are premium content, available only to members. Those are in-depth, investigative, or exclusive stories that are available only on Oak Ridge Today. They generally require at least four hours to report, write, and publish.

You can subscribe for as little as $5 per month.

You can read more about your options here.

We currently offer five primary subscription options to readers, and they include benefits.

Basic

  • Basic monthly subscription ($5 per month)—access premium content
  • Basic annual subscription ($60 per year)—access premium content

Pro

  • Pro monthly subscription ($10 per month)—access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month
  • Pro annual subscription ($100 per year)—save $20 per year, access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month

Temporary

  • Temporary access ($3 per week for two weeks)

We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.

We also accept donations. You can donate here.

If you prefer to send a check for a subscription or donation, you may do so by mailing one to:

Oak Ridge Today
P.O. Box 6064
Oak Ridge, TN 37831

Thank you for your consideration and for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support.

Commenting Guidelines

We welcome comments, but we ask you to follow a few guidelines:

1) Please use your real name, including last name. Please also use a valid e-mail address.
2) Be civil. Don't insult others, attack their character, or get personal.
3) Stick to the issues.
4) No profanity.
5) Keep your comments to a reasonable length and to a reasonable number per article.

We reserve the right to remove any comments that violate these guidelines. Comments held for review, usually from those posting for the first time, may not post if they violate these guidelines. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Thank you also for reading Oak Ridge Today and for participating in the discussion.

More information is available here.

More Community News

Update on downtown Oak Ridge Tuesday

A city official will give an update on the proposed development of downtown Oak Ridge during a lunchtime meeting Tuesday. The presentation will be led by Wayne Blasius, director of the Oak Ridge Planning and … [Read More...]

Experience world cultures at Children’s Museum International Festival

Flamenco, Irish, and Greek dancers will be among entertainers at the International Festival on Saturday, February 26, at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge. A special guest from Ireland, musician and singer Fionan Casey, … [Read More...]

Expungements to be discussed March 1

A partner in a Knoxville law firm will discuss conviction expungement during a virtual talk sponsored by an Oak Ridge organization March 1. The information about expungement will be presented by Wade V. Davies, … [Read More...]

Breakfast with Legislators on Feb. 28

The first Breakfast with the Legislators this year is scheduled for Monday morning, February 28. The breakfast will be virtual, and it scheduled from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. It has been organized by the League of Women … [Read More...]

Supreme Court justice to discuss WWII POWs

Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sharon Lee will discuss the compelling stories of five American soldiers captured and held as prisoners of war by the Germans during World War II during a lunchtime meeting next week, a … [Read More...]

More Community

More Government News

Update on downtown Oak Ridge Tuesday

A city official will give an update on the proposed development of downtown Oak Ridge during a lunchtime meeting Tuesday. The presentation will be led by Wayne Blasius, director of the Oak Ridge Planning and … [Read More...]

Clinch-River-Site-Bear-Creek-Road-Entrance-March-27-2016

TVA has virtual open house for Clinch River Nuclear Site

The Tennessee Valley Authority will have a virtual open house for the Clinch River Nuclear Site in west Oak Ridge this evening (Thursday, March 10). The open house follows the release of a draft environmental impact … [Read More...]

Oak Ridge names first honorary poet laureate

The City of Oak Ridge has named Erin Elizabeth Smith as its first honorary poet laureate. Smith will serve in this role for a two-year period, a press release said. "In this role, she will inspire and promote literacy … [Read More...]

Breakfast with Legislators on Feb. 28

The first Breakfast with the Legislators this year is scheduled for Monday morning, February 28. The breakfast will be virtual, and it scheduled from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. It has been organized by the League of Women … [Read More...]

Tax assistance center opens Feb. 8

The Oak Ridge Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Center will open on Tuesday. The VITA program is an Internal Revenue Service initiative to help taxpayers by providing trained volunteers to prepare and electronically … [Read More...]

More Government

More Police and Fire News

Secret City Academy student charged with terrorism after alleged shooting, bomb threats

A Secret City Academy student was charged with terrorism and other crimes after allegedly threatening to shoot people and use a bomb at the school on Friday, Anderson County's district attorney general said. This is the … [Read More...]

Police ask for help finding missing man

The Oak Ridge Police Department and several area agencies are searching for a missing Oak Ridge man near Melton Hill Lake. Arthur Lee, 59, was last seen Sunday and may have been in the area of Melton Lake Drive and … [Read More...]

Controlled burns scheduled on Oak Ridge Reservation

Controlled burns are scheduled on the U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Reservation. "The public should expect to see some smoke from this activity," a press release said. "However, smoke in this and other areas in … [Read More...]

Passenger dies after THP pursuit

The passenger has died after a two-vehicle crash during a police pursuit in Anderson County on Sunday, January 30. It's the second death after the police chase and fatal crash near the intersection of Mountain Road … [Read More...]

Woman charged with murder in husband’s death after 7 years

The wife of Thomas Steven "T.S." Thrasher has been charged with first-degree murder after his death in 2014, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. Samantha Anne Hendley, 35, of Harriman, was indicted … [Read More...]

More Police and Fire

Recent Posts

  • REAC/TS welcomes new team members: John Crapo, Josh Hayes and David Quillen
  • NASA Postdoctoral Program seeks early career and senior scientists for prestigious fellowships at its locations across the U.S.
  • ORAU names Brandon Criswell associate general counsel
  • Update on downtown Oak Ridge Tuesday
  • TVA has virtual open house for Clinch River Nuclear Site
  • Science and supercomputers at ORNL topic of Mar. 8 talk
  • First Presbyterian offers free meals & groceries on Mar. 10
  • Secret City Academy student charged with terrorism after alleged shooting, bomb threats
  • ORHS Masquers presents ‘Into the Woods’
  • Oak Ridge’s first girl Eagle Scout named a “Scout of the Year”

Search Oak Ridge Today

About Us

About Oak Ridge Today
What We Cover

How To

Advertise
Subscribe

Contact Us

Contact Oak Ridge Today

Copyright © 2022 Oak Ridge Today