Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Protesters in Historic Westside Las Vegas urged to sustain movement, vote

Rally Against Police Brutality

Steve Marcus

Scheherazade Pollins, center and others rally in Kianga Isoke Palacio Park (formerly Doolittle Park) Friday, June 5, 2020. The peaceful rally and candlelight vigil against police brutality was one of many sparked by the outrage of the killing of George Floyd while in Minneapolis Police custody on Memorial Day.

Rally Against Police Brutality

People rally in Kianga Isoke Palacio Park (formerly Doolittle Park) Friday, June 5, 2020. The peaceful rally and candlelight vigil against police brutality was one of many sparked by the outrage of the killing of George Floyd while in Minneapolis Police custody on Memorial Day. Launch slideshow »

Former Nevada Assemblyman Gene Collins was chased by the Ku Klux Klan during his childhood in the South. He recalled nearly dying on multiple occasions.

But by the “grace of God,” he is still here, he said.

Collins, a former president of the NAACP in Nevada, stressed to the other demonstrators assembled peacefully Friday night at Kianga Isoke Palacio Park in west Las Vegas that they were lucky to be in attendance advocating for police reform. He explained that other black men, such as George Floyd, Michael Brown and Walter Scott, weren’t so fortunate as they were killed by police in the United States.

Hundreds of demonstrators from many backgrounds and ages showed up to the outdoor rally at the park, most commonly known as Doolittle Park, near the prominently black West Las Vegas to demand the end of racism, police brutality and racial inequality.

The demonstration and vigil capped off the ninth day of protests in the Las Vegas Valley inspired by the death of Floyd, who died after a white Minneapolis police officer dug his knee into his neck for almost 10 minutes while the black man pleaded that he couldn’t breathe.

While earlier protests in Las Vegas have ended turbulently, including Monday when a Metro Police officer was critically wounded and an armed protester was killed in separate police-involved shootings, Friday was the fourth night that went off peacefully. There was no tear gas from Metro Police to end the protest, no arrests or violence, and no instigators crashing the event.

Officers from North Las Vegas Police and Metro directed traffic outside the park and were stationed in nearby neighborhoods, but they mostly stayed away. A police helicopter hovered above.

At the end of his remarks, Collins stirred the crowd, noting that Floyd’s death had set up a global movement. He urged attendees to keep protesting peacefully, organize and, most important, vote. They owe it to Floyd, he said. “Thank God for George,” he exclaimed, “thank God for George.”

The hundreds of demonstrators basked in the breezy heat, many with their fists raised and singing along to “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” which is considered the black national anthem. Toward the end, they all gleefully sang the Fugees’ '90s hit, “Killing Me Softly.”

They also chanted the names of men killed by Metro, such as Tashii Brown, who died after an officer put him in a minutes-long chokehold, and Jorge Gomez, the man killed Monday.

“I’ve been to two demonstrations and the reason why I’m here is because I’m black, I’m a woman and we need to support each other,” said protester Shaquilla Eilets, a schoolteacher. “We need to stand against injustice. We’ve been silent for too long. We’ve been complacent and complicit for too long.”

Delia Delgado, who said she grew up in black and Latino communities, came to support her neighbors. “The murder of George Floyd really shook a lot of people to their core,” she said. “Now is the time, we’ve got momentum and we've really got to be part of that movement.”

The event was organized by youth pastor and local activist Vance "Stretch" Sanders, who said there needs to be legislation in place better hold law enforcement accountable.

“(State) officials need to sign a bill that states if an officer uses excessive force, they will be fired, charged and convicted,” he said.

Gov. Steve Sisolak said he was committed to working on fixing structural racism and bias in the Nevada criminal justice system. He addressed his own privilege, saying that living in fear of the police is “simply something I don’t live with” as a “privileged white man.”

Stevens lauded the governor’s comments, asking the crowd to clap for Sisolak.

“I respect that,” he said. “I think that’s a wonderful thing because that’s what it’s going to take. People are too silent, and that’s the problem.”

Shaun Williams stood near the entrance of the park as the crowd prepared for the vigil. He had just arrived, noting that dusk was the best time to protest. The Los Angeles transplant said he’s experienced racial profiling by Metro in the past. While he tries to come to every protest he can, he doesn’t see any widespread change happening anytime soon.

“(Police brutality) has been bad for the last 50 years, since the Black Panther (Party) days. It’s been going on for a long time,” he said. “I just come to support and hope for the best. I’ll keep my fingers crossed.”