Shreveport protests pause 4th of July weekend, will continue in future – Shreveport Times

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After receiving mounting threats, local activistshit pause on Shreveport protests for the Fourth of July weekend, but vow to resume protests soon.

Representatives from 45 Days of Action-Shreveport, All Streets All People, Speak Up Shreveport, We The People and XPress Yourself Louisiana Artists and Creative Voices for Change were in attendance at a press conference on Saturday to discuss the cancellation and the goals of their movement.

"We felt it was more secure for us and our community to cancelthat protesttoday,'' PJ Brown-Coleman of 45 Days of Action-Shreveport. "That was a hard decision to come to. The organizers had several meetings throughout the week on what kind of contingency plans could we have. Could we beef up security? Do we have have enough manpower for what could arise? We unanimously decided that the protection and our security was more important than putting them in harm's way today.''

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Independent activist William James said he called for the cancellation of the protest.

James' concern came following a tense situation last weekend between protesters at the Confederate Monument in Shreveport and counterprotesters.

"I live in downtown Shreveport. I work in downtown Shreveport,'' James said. "When I see grandma and grandpa walking with their grandchild toplay Pokemon Go throughout the streets of downtown Shreveport, how am I going to feel having called for a protest and being aware of all of the threats that were made?

"If you have one nervous Nellie thatdrops his pistol and doesn't put it on safety, and one round goes off and hits grandma, grandpa, (and) grandchildis just playing Pokemon Go and had nothing to do with the protests, how could I sleep at night?''

Omari Ho-Sang of All Streets All People/45 Days of Action speaks at a news conference on Saturday.(Photo: Scott Ferrell)

While organizers said they have received death threats, they also plan to resume the protests.

The Fourth of July weekend brought the additional concern of a long weekend and the possibility of out-of-town counterprotesters.

"We will continue to protest,'' Brown-Coleman said. "One of the reasons this particular protest was canceled was the Fourth of July is such an antsy holiday right now. It was imperative for us to cancel today.

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"We had a leadership meeting earlier in the week and someone made the statement that if a firework had popped last weekend, there would have been bloodshed... It was just the right call to make.''

When the protests resume, they will continue to press for the transformation of Shreveport.

"What does it mean to transform Shreveport?'' Omari Ho-Sang of All Streets All People/45 Days of Action asked. "One, hold those accountable for hurting our people. Thismeans law enforcement -- from the Civil Service Board down to the uniformed street police officer and to the district judges and department directors and decision makers.... Two, we will protect and provide for the needs of our communities. Way too many children are growing up in the confines of food deserts. .... Adequate education with the proper additional support to make sure that even in this pandemic that the majority of our population is not being served less than the best...

"Over 40 percent of the population in Shreveport is either working poor or straight up in poverty. That means they are one $400 emergency awayfrom complete destitution. In 2020 America, that's a product of the violence of silence. It's time to raise our voices. You want to protect your communities, it will take muchmore than the protection of your Second Amendment rights.''

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Meanwhile, James will continue to push for the removal of the Confederate Monument.

He recalled growing up in Ledbetter Heights and walking with his mother down Texas Street opposite the courthouse and seeing men wearing hoods walking around the building.

He suggested the monument could be moved to the Louisiana State Museum or Oakland Cemetery.

"How can anybody who didn't fall under the approval of the Confederacy or fall in their good zone, how can we expect equal justice walking into that courthouse?'' James asked. "Whether we are the plaintiff or the defendant. How can we feel we are represented properly? The 14th amendment,at the end, it guarantees equal justice for all. For 39 years of my life, I've seen nothing but inequality. How can we expect justice for anybody going into that courtroom when you have a symbol of discrimination, a symbol of hate?''

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Shreveport protests pause 4th of July weekend, will continue in future - Shreveport Times