How Black Lives Matter brought the conversation of race and racism to the North Country – North Country Public Radio

Dec 30, 2020 In addition to the coronavirus, 2020 will be remembered for nationwide protests for civil rights and racial justice not seen in this country in more than half a century.

They were sparked in late May when a video went viral of a white police officer kneeling on the neck of a Black man named George Floyd. For nearly nine minutes the police officer is seen placing pressure on Floyds neck as he calls out in distress before he is killed.

Millions of people flooded the streets of Minneapolis, New York, Portland, and many other cities, calling for a reckoning over systemic racism in policing and across American society.

Protests also took place in the North Country, where people from Ogdensburg to Westport in Essex County held demonstrations in support of Black lives. Julia Ritchey covered some of these marches this summer and is here to talk with us about their significance.

Anthoni Pope, right, attends a Black Lives Matter march in Ogdensburg on June 1, 2020. Photo: Julia Ritchey, NCPR

This transcript has been edited for length and clarity.

Julia RitcheyHow Black Lives Matter brought the conversation of race and racism to the North Country

MONICA SANDREZKI: Julia, there were several Black Lives Matter marches over the summer, what were they like?

JULIA RITCHEY: The first Black Lives Matter march I attended was in Ogdensburg in June. There were only a few people when I showed up, but ater a while, dozens and dozens showed up as they marched through downtown. I think it surprised people to see places like Ogdensburg, which are demographically majority white, like 80-90 percent in many places, having marches. But what you learn by going is that many people have stories in their own communities of experiencing racism and discrimination. I met one young guy, Anthoni Pope, a 21-year-old, who attended the Ogdensburg Free Academy and he talked about this while wearing a mask that said I cant breathe, which is what George Floyd called out as he was being suffocated.

POPE TAPE: I used to play basketball and football and many other sports for O.F.A. And I have heard discriminating chants at my own games at myself. It does suck. Its something that we as a people should address."

Demonstrators march through downtown Ogdensburg on June 1. Photo: Julia Ritchey, NCPR

A police officer in Ogdensburg prepares to escort a Black Lives matter march on June 1. Photo: Julia Ritchey, NCPR

SANDREZKI: Were most of these gatherings spontaneous?

Three women at a Black Lives Matter vigil in Canton on June 6, 2020. Photo: Julia Ritchey, NCPR

BAXTRON TAPE: It led to change as far as the awareness, making people aware. Making people stand up, stand against and to defend and protect Black lives. Thats whats changed. Nothing in the legal system and in the police departments and all that has changed so far. People are still dying and being targeted, all the stuff that was happening prior. The biggest change is in the communities with the members who actually stood up and supported BLM.

SANDREZKI: How has local law enforcement reacted to these demonstrations?

A truck drives down Market Street as part of the "Back the Blue" parade in Potsdam on Saturday, Aug. 15, held a few blocks from a counterdemonstration for Black Lives Matter. Photo: Julia Ritchey, NCPR

The feeling at some of these counter-demonstrations was that police are being blamed for the actions of a few bad apples and there also seemed to be some sense of denial about the North Country lacking the same problems as in bigger places like Rochester or New York, where high profile police killings had taken place. But all you have to do is talk to people of color in these communities to know that they experience discrimination up here, too.

SANDREZKI: What do you mean by that?

RITCHEY: Well, for instance, in July, a Black family in Massena reported finding a noose outside their house in their driveway. The family says the first officer to respond to their call tried to downplay it as a teenage prank and it was only after it received more media attention that the police chief issued a statement condemning the act and calling for tips from the public for who was responsible. Similarly, we also saw racist graffiti pop up around the North Country after these demonstrations started happening, including on a bridge near Saranac Lake. That incident caused the new director of the Adirondack Diversity Initiative, a Black woman named Nicole Hylton-Patterson, to move out of town. Here she is discussing the incident.

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HYLTON-PATTERSON TAPE: What I think is that the community has never had someone like me before here. know what that feels like, and Im not afraid to take it on. Im not afraid to encourage even those especially those who dont want to hear that you can come on board and your interest will be represented as well as we fight together.

SANDREZKI: The New York State Legislature responded to this summers protests with a sweeping set of reforms in mid-June under the Say Their Name agenda. Tell us about that.

RITCHEY: Yeah, that included things like banning chokeholds, making it a crime to call 911 based on a persons race. But probably the biggest change was finally unsealing police disciplinary records, which had been shielded under a statute known as 50-a. Many reform advocates said this allowed police officers with a history of disciplinary records to hop from department to department and escape accountability or being fired.

SANDREZKI: That was on the state level, but on the local level were still seeing some movement, right?

RITCHEY: Yes, so along with the police reforms under the Say Their Name legislation, Gov. Cuomo also issued an executive order calling for modernizing and reinventing police departments across the state. Its a little broad, but essentially hes requiring every police department, sheriffs office, agency across the state to do a thorough review of their policies and procedures, things like use of force, racial bias training, hiring practices, etcetera and come up with a plan. The big thing is it has to include community feedback, so a lot of towns in the North Country have formed advisory committees with members of the public to help them.

They have nine months to do this and submit their progress to the state by April 1 of next year or risk losing their funding.

SANDREZKI: How is it going so far?

RITCHEY: In the North Country, Id say mixed. Some agencies like the St. Lawrence County Sheriffs Department say theyre almost done with their review, while others like the Potsdam Police Advisory Committee have been marked by disagreements and the departure of its only two Black committee members. I dont think anyone was under the illusion this executive order was going to solve systemic racism in policing and racial bias in under a year, but its not clear what the actual result will be if some departments take it seriously and others just check boxes to get their state funding.

SANDREZKI: And youll be following up on the difficult conversations with Potsdams police reforms next week. Julia, thanks so much.

RITCHEY: Thank you.

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How Black Lives Matter brought the conversation of race and racism to the North Country - North Country Public Radio