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Taking a deeper look into why people are protesting in Indianapolis

Posted at 12:35 AM, Jun 03, 2020
and last updated 2020-06-03 17:03:25-04

INDIANAPOLIS — Tuesday marked the fifth day of peaceful protests in Indianapolis.

Over the weekend, some of the protests unraveled into riots and violent confrontations with police.

Similar protests have been happening from coast to coast since the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Is it all because of one incident?

"We can't breathe, they are suffocating us making us feel we are the problem when in reality we are not the problem — the police is the problem," Sarah France, a protester, said.

Those aren't just the words of George Floyd said in the last moments of life, it's also how some say they feel right now.

"However you may look at it it's still we're being done wrong and no one is looking at that," France said. "They are looking at the actions but the actions are a reaction to what is being done to us. We're not being treated fairly and that's not fair."

A peaceful protester RTV6 spoke with Monday was marching to raise awareness about the struggles that his friends of color have gone through.

"There's been multiple times I've gone to Kilroy's the bar and I have used one form of ID and my friend of color was denied because he didn't have two forms and I got in with an expired one ID," the man said.

The protester was also raising awareness that one race doesn't have to worry about the little things that others are forced to consider.

"It's little thing that I don't have to worry when I take my morning job if I'm going to get shot," the man said. "I don't have to worry that if I decide to sell cigarettes or CDs that I am going to get choked out because of the color of my skin."

Those standing in solidarity with the black community say they can't turn a blind eye to injustice. It's the harsh realization that sometimes that is reality and that's why people from all backgrounds are standing up against privilege and racism.

"Being white in a society that was founded and is being run by whites you could never know what it is like to be a person of color," the protester said. "You just have to look at all the small examples and go from there doing all that you can."

The hope is to turn the tide of those reluctant to see when a difference is being made because of the color of someone's skin and to then make sure fairness prevails.