There hadn’t been a gathering in the village of Marion of this many people in months.
Nearly 200 citizens in face masks converged on the lawn of the Marion Music Hall on the afternoon of June 2 in solidarity with the rest of the nation to protest the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man whose pleads of “I can’t breathe” were captured on video and made viral on social media.
Outrage ensued as the nation watched Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin pin Floyd’s neck to the ground with his knee for six minutes as Floyd begged for air, and another three minutes after Floyd went unconscious. A series of not-so-peaceful protests erupted on May 25 as millions called for the firing and arrest of Chauvin and the three complicit officers, followed by a “Kneel for Nine” movement that started spreading across the country shortly after.
Marion resident Margaret McSweeny told The Wanderer that the injustice of Floyd’s murder and the need for accountability of the officers involved compelled her to organize a Kneel for Nine gathering in Marion so that she and her fellow community members could join in solidarity. She addressed the crowd: “If you are like me, you are here because you cannot sit idly by while racism spreads like wildfire. We must fight fire with fire. In the words of Angela Davis, ‘It is not enough to be non-racist; we must be anti-racist.’ As an ally, I recognize my privilege and will use it any way that I can to help fight the oppression of people of color.”
McSweeny then led the assembled in nine minutes of kneeling. Some held signs while the children held their parents’ hands. Others steadied themselves with their canes.
Marion Police Chief John Garcia was down on one knee on the grass in his police uniform, his hand gently gripping the opposite wrist. Beside him was Selectman Randy Parker.
“It was heartbreaking,” said Garcia recalling the first time he saw the footage of a restrained Floyd suffocating beneath Chauvin’s knee. “Nobody dislikes a bad cop more than a good cop.”
Garcia listened as people rose to speak.
“If we cannot get rid of the police union there will never be any kind of meaningful systemic reform,” said Marion resident John Grullon, raising his voice to be heard once the nine minutes were over.
“It’s accurate,” Garcia told The Wanderer during a follow-up. Police unions sometimes prevent police departments from discharging incompetent or corrupt police officers, Garcia said, but not so much in Marion. He explained, “We’re not a civil-service department so it’s a bit easier in Marion. And that tactic of putting your knee on someone’s neck… has not been an approved tactic in Massachusetts for many years.
“It was a terrible, horrific event that really shouldn’t have happened,” said Garcia.
Talon Gomes, 24, said Floyd’s case was “an easy one” for which to demand justice, “but it’s not just about the murders,” he continued. “It’s about… traffic stops for no reason, harassment for no reason…”
Gomes’ had his own similar past experience but didn’t go viral, he said. “It doesn’t need to. Everything matters. This is an easy one – a really easy one. We need everyone with that same energy every single day, every single day.”
“Unfortunately, it takes certain disasters for us (police officers) to be elevated again in the community’s eyes,” said Garcia. With the COVID-19 pandemic, Garcia said police officers had been considered first responders, essential workers. “We were getting that hero status back.”
Garcia’s mask could hide his frown, but not his eyes as he fought back emotion.
“Most of us got into this to help people,” said Garcia. He paused. “And to be lumped in with the killers of minorities – it’s heartbreaking.”
Garcia is set to retire come the New Year after 35 years as an officer.
“Since I was 21 it’s all I’ve ever done,” said Garcia. “It was always my heartfelt desire to help people. And somewhere along the line over the last several years, cops have become the bad guys – and then it’s your life’s work flushed down the toilet.”
As the crowd dispersed, many came to thank Garcia for his presence and settled for an elbow bump in lieu of a handshake.
“There has to be some down-to-earth work done,” said Selectman Parker. Like many there that day, it was Parker’s first experience attending such a demonstration of solidarity.