Demonstrators marched through Portsmouth and onto Interstate 264 Saturday night as they chanted, “I can’t breathe” and “No justice, no peace,” joining similar efforts across the country in the wake of the death of George Floyd.
Floyd, a black and unarmed man, died after a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for close to nine minutes.
“We’re avenging (Floyd’s) death and avenging other people who died at the same hands,” said James Boyd, president of the Portsmouth NAACP and an organizer of the march.
The crowd began at I.C. Norcom High School and proceeded onto High Street to the Portsmouth Police Department building and then onto the interstate to block the Downtown Tunnel. Periodically, the group stopped for different speakers to share experiences and encourage the crowd to demand justice from those in power.
Throughout the march, there was little, if any, direct interaction between police officers and the demonstrators. Police vehicles blocked off streets and intersections to separate the crowd from traffic. When the crowd was on the interstate, police and fire department vehicles stayed far back. Police officers appeared to remain in their vehicles throughout the two-hour demonstration.
Still, leaders of the march talked about the Portsmouth police. While standing in front of the department’s building, they shared a list of demands they said they previously provided to Police Chief Angela Greene.
The NAACP has called for public information about officers who have faced disciplined and used force on the job, the hiring of a black police captain and a new head of the police department’s internal affairs investigations. They also called for a use-of-force policy that specifically bans kneeling on a person’s neck. Boyd said police regulations that use broad language can equate to legalized murder.
As they discussed the death of Floyd and the officer charged with killing him and other instances of police officers killing unarmed black people — specifically naming Breonna Taylor, Botham Jean, Michael Brown and Eric Garner — they discussed issues in Portsmouth.
At least one demonstrator carried a sign commemorating William Chapman II, an 18-year-old who was shot and killed outside a Walmart in 2015. The officer who shot him, Stephen Rankin, was convicted of manslaughter.
Boyd said racism is a pervasive issue in Portsmouth, citing the resignation of former police chief Tonya Chapman. Chapman said her resignation was forced. She said she observed racial tensions in the department, leading to an FBI investigation.
Boyd said he was glad the march was peaceful and shocked it was not prevented or directed in any way by the police, but now the ball is in their court to come to them and make changes in the department.
Leaders of the march emphasized the need for continued action and pressure to make changes. They thanked non-black allies for attending, chanting and listening and charged them to talk in their communities about the injustices and inequities that black people face.
As the crowd marched down High Street, some diners on restaurant patios joined in after being challenged to do so by marchers, and residents of homes and apartments cheered them on from their windows and porches. Employees of restaurants and stores came out onto the sidewalk to take videos with their phones and applaud.
“Portsmouth looks good tonight,” one man said as he observed the crowd.
Josh Reyes, 757-247-4692, joreyes@dailypress.com
