Colton Jones refuses to stay silent.

“Silence at this time is essentially opposing these movements and opposing equality, freedom and peace,” Jones said.

In an effort to protest the lack of indictments in the cases of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, Jones, a senior psychology major, traveled with several other students from Syracuse University to protest in the national Millions March in New York City on Dec. 13, 2014. The march was in line with a national trend of increased protesting. Those who participated in the protest say it’s part of a larger, ongoing movement.

The protest began around noon in Washington Square Park, as protesters marched through uptown and ended their official marching route outside the New York City Police Department headquarters in downtown. About 30,000 people attended the march in Manhattan, according to a Dec. 13 Huffington Post article.

Jones said there were people from all over the country and even from abroad that participated. Before the march began, fellow protesters handed out posters and gave away free food. Jones added that people from all races were at the protest in solidarity and recalled one sign he thought was inspiring that was held by a white man that said, “White silence = violence.”

“But within that happiness to be there, there was a lot of pain, you could see the pain on a lot of people’s faces, that we need change and this is a time for change,” Jones said.

Alejandra Avina, a senior anthropology and political science dual major, said she felt obligated to join the Millions March because she has a personal and family history experiencing police brutality.

“I owed family and myself to show the rest of society that these are still important issues occurring and that there are individuals that care,” Avina said.

After the official march ended at the police headquarters, Jones and Avina were not done protesting. As the night lingered and some protesters went home, Jones and Avina stayed outside with other protesters who were determined to continue to bring awareness to police brutality by marching onto the Brooklyn Bridge, where they were met by a line of police officers facing them.

Jones and Avina were standing on the front lines and were equipped with goggles, first aid kits and mixtures to help alleviate the pain of tear gas and pepper spray.

Avina added that she was one of the only women she could see on the front lines as protesters marched through traffic and onto the Brooklyn Bridge. Standing on the frontlines was difficult at times, Avina added.

At several points of the unofficial march, Avina grew worried that she might not be able to continue protesting depending on how other protesters continued in their actions.

“I remember grabbing (Jones’) arm, being like, ‘I think I might be scared, we might have to move to the second line’ and he said, ‘No, we got this.’”

“It was emotional, it was a little bit overwhelming, but I felt empowered,” Avina added.

Despite the initial resistance, Jones said, the protesters were able to find a way around the line of police officers, and continue their march onto the Brooklyn Bridge.

“It felt like a victory,” he added.

Ray Garzia, a graduate student studying mathematics, said he participated in the Millions March because he believes it is important for the movement to have white allies march in solidarity.

Garzia added that as a white man participating in a protest centered on the lives of African Americans, he had to constantly check his privilege in the beginning of the march. This included trying not to chant too loud or take a leadership position during the march because it’s important to see people of color in more leadership positions, he said.

“I feel like society conditions white men to take leadership roles when participating in something like this,” he said. “Because then we’re trying to fix the problem with the problem.”

Avina added that while it was great to see such large numbers of people participate in a national protest, she learned that there is still work to be done within the movement, including navigating the roles of white allies.

Moving forward, Avina said she’s excited to see what will come out of the movement. She added that she hopes the movement creates an understanding that race will not go away with a simple policy reform and it takes local activism, education and daily conversation to treat historical racial wounds related to race in the U.S.

Spencer Piston, a political science professor at SU’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, said protests can potentially affect policy change and decrease the disproportionate amount of African American lives that are ended through the criminal justice system. He also said that protesters can become better civically engaged citizens.

Piston added in an email that he hopes students at SU and across the nation continue to use peaceful protest to combat racial inequality.

“It’s also good for students as they prepare for life after they graduate because those who take a stand for what they believe in learn that living for our values is ultimately more rewarding than just living for our paychecks,” Piston said.

Jones, the senior psychology major, added that as his ancestors have fought toward racial equality for his generation, and it is now time for his peers to continue the fight toward a more just society for future generations a well.

“I learned that this is sort of our civil rights movement,” Jones said. “This is a very important time of our lives and I think that should never be undermined.”

Published on January 20, 2015 at 12:01 am

Contact Anna: almerod@syr.edu