<p>Bundled up against the wind chill and holding handmade signs, more than 80 Vineyarders gathered at Five Corners on New Year’s Day for a march of solidarity. The event was organized by the Martha's Vineyard chapter of the NAACP. </p>
Bundled up against the wind chill and holding handmade signs, more than 80 Vineyarders gathered at Five Corners on New Year’s Day for a march of solidarity.
"All lives matter" was message of event planned by Martha's Vineyard chapter of NAACP.
"All lives matter" was message of event planned by Martha's Vineyard chapter of NAACP.
Organized by the Martha’s Vineyard chapter of the NAACP, the march was held to show support for the ongoing protest efforts across the country sparked by the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner. More protests followed in the wake of grand jury decisions not to indict the respective police officers responsible for the deaths, with people calling for an end to systemic violence against African Americans. Most recently, the shootings of New York Police Department officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos have led many protestors to stress a broad, peaceful message.
NAACP president Erik Blake, who is also the Oak Bluffs police chief, told the Gazette this week that when people had reached out to the organization about a march, the message they wanted to convey was that all lives matter.
The messages on the signs said as much: Black Lives Matter, Police Lives Matter, All Life Matters. Some walkers held their hands over their heads, in a “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” gesture that became common in demonstrations after Mr. Brown’s death in August.
Martha's Vineyard NAACP president Erik Blake: “I think it’s important to take a stand."
Martha's Vineyard NAACP president Erik Blake: “I think it’s important to take a stand."
“I think it’s important to take a stand,” Mr. Blake told attendees at the end of the march, which wound from Five Corners up to Main street and finally down Union street to the Steamship Authority traffic circle. He acknowledged the different messages on the signs and observed that they were not “a conflicting statement.”
March co-organizer Carrie Tankard, vice president of the Vineyard NAACP, thanked people for turning out.
“How many people do you think we have here?” Mr. Blake said.
“Not enough,” someone answered.
Comments
I think it's important that
Deborah DykstraI think it's important that one of the signs said "all LIFE matters." That includes our animals. All animals. Kudos to the Vineyarders for this march and for saving Charlie the draft horse!
Well said.
Debbie Warren Old Saybrook, CTWell said.
Thank you to all who came out
Carrie Tankard Oak BluffsThank you to all who came out today. It is so important when good people take a stand against things they see that are wrong.
Thank you Carrie & MV NAACP
MVYLIThank you Carrie & MV NAACP
Maybe a sign that says Cops
Cops Lives MatterMaybe a sign that says Cops Lives Matter.... I think the Cops should just back off for a few days and see how everybody gets along without them especially in the Ghettos!
I hope we acknowledge our
Jack Schimmelman Oak BluffsI hope we acknowledge our conflicts, points of view about others we don't know that may not be accurate and begin to defuse the atmosphere of hatred that allows systematic violence towards young African American men (mostly) by authorities and the mindless knee jerk hateful violence that often comes in response. We have a legacy of building this country on the backs of Africans brought here in chains. Let us recognize that legacy and move forward so one day we may finally live up to our promise of our Declaration of Independence that "All Men are Created Equal." (Written by a slave owner.) I often will have to rest after walking a short distance. That happened during today's march. A police officer pulled up his car and asked if I needed help. I thanked him for his concern. We are very fortunate to have such sensitivity in our police force.
They say try,try again to get
John Gault Oak BluffsThey say try,try again to get past the censor. My opinion is I am trying again to say that you have 2 criminals that did not obey the police officer. One tried to take a gun away from a policeman and then beat him in the process, and still continued to attack when ordered to stop. The second was a person selling illegal cigarettes in front of a store. The taxes on cigarettes in NY, NY. are outrageous and supported by the Mayor of NY, who pushed his police officers to stop this behavior. Again this man refused to obey the police officer, and the black woman police Sargent who had command control of the arrest. The man died because of his physical condition and his resisting the officers. When our society put restraints on our police officers and the blame them because they don't obey the police officer you will have a law less society. Personally I support the police and the difficult work they do daily.
well said John and not to
Bob Edgartownwell said John and not to forget that both men new the law as they had been arrested before and still did not behave correctly.
Well, maybe know more than a
George Clarke Vineyard HavenWell, maybe know more than a coroner, but he stated the man died do to strangulation. And the last time I checked, the penalty for selling illegal cigarettes, is not "death by strangulation or any other means".
John, well documented and
BFJohn, well documented and well said.
Unfortunately, we have a large group in our country to whom facts mean little..
They could have facts for breakfast, lunch and dinner and still be hungry for unrest, inequality, injustice and intolerance at the end of the day.
It is nice to see appropriate
Sebastian Pattavina EdgartownIt is nice to see appropriate representation on our little island. I raise my glass to those who walked that day. Namaste...
All efforts should be made to
Peter Robb Holliston and Oak BluffsAll efforts should be made to investigate conflicts between the police and the public. Maybe we need to examine the grand jury process. But I think these protesters, and those across the country, are missing the bigger picture: the high black murder rate. Some figures I have seen show that around 80% of black men are killed by other black youths. Chicago had one of the highest rates a few years ago. All lives matter but until we deal with the underlying causes of these murders, we will be condemned to continued killings every year.
This march symbolized
Marie B. Allen Oak Bluffs, MAssachusettsThis march symbolized injustices, and that a collaborative effort be made by all people to fight unfair practices,intolerance, racism, and bigotry against everyone.
Do our officers wear web cams
Ken EdgartownDo our officers wear web cams? No community is immune from bad policing. I think transparency on the island will wake alot of people up.
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