By A.J. Harris
BLOOMINGTON – The local chapter of the Black Lives Matter movement held a public meeting at Miller Park yesterday, where the energy of previous protests was converted into tangible ideas and goals.
The hundreds of people in attendance were broken up into separate groups to discuss various aspects of what to do within the movement going forward.
Those groups included discussions on how to de-escalate confrontations with police, basic first aid training, knowing and understanding protester rights, security training, and marshaling and crowd control.
The sixth group was a caucus for black leaders and attendees to set the agenda moving ahead, providing tangible and attainable ideas.
These ideas included requiring 60 hours of college credit for police officers in line with state officers, hiring more teachers of color, electing a new sheriff, and putting more people of color on the McLean County School Board, among many others.
There was also a voter registration table set up, and a place where black business owners could register their businesses with a Facebook group designed specifically to support black-owned local businesses.
The meeting ended with a moment of reflection and meditation, reminding everyone in attendance of all races to be mindful and respectful throughout their everyday lives.
A.J. Harris can be reached at [email protected]
