‘I want them to be a little uncomfortable’ attendee says at Bellingham protest
Several hundred people lined the sidewalks near Costco in Bellingham Friday afternoon to protest racial injustice and inequality experienced by people of color.
Protesters were asked to line the sidewalks starting at 2 p.m. on June 12 at the intersection of West Bakerview Road and Arctic Avenue. The protest was in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County chapter, which put a call out on June 9 for a statewide day of action on June 12 that included a general strike and silent march in support of all Black lives in Washington state, Kristina Michele, one of the protest organizers said in an interview with The Bellingham Herald Thursday, June 11.
Michele, who is Black, said they are “protesting political injustice, systematic racism and silence from our elected officials.”
“We’ll take to the streets as many times as possible as large as we can get it to make sure they know we have things we want to say — not just the City Council but the government. And we’re going to keep chanting, shouting, marching and raising signs, because you work for us,” Michele said.
Michele was one of the speakers at the Peaceful Solidarity Rally June 6 that brought more than 5,000 people to Maritime Heritage Park. Michele also spoke at the end of Friday’s protest. She thanked people for coming out and asked them to thank their friends who left early for just showing up.
“It has been a long, long six months, and I know that everyone is going through so much, so to have you here, to have you stand with us — it means the world to me, because you’re saving my life right now,” Michele said as she addressed the crowd gathered in front of Taco Time. “Thank you for giving everything that you can. Please know this is just the start. I know we’re all tired, I am exhausted, but you cannot quit on us now. ... We’ll be able to do it more quickly, together. This is not a moment, this is the movement.”
People were still joining the line 90 minutes after the protest started Friday afternoon. Many of them held signs with slogans such as “Black lives matter,” “They’re just asking to matter,” “Rest in power,” “I can’t breathe,” “We have a lot to learn,” “Racism is a pandemic” and “Silence is violence.” One person colored over a flag for President Donald Trump and wrote “Black lives matter. Make America change.” Several other large banners were present as well.
Several people of color had megaphones throughout the lines on either side of the road and would lead chants. One chant was for Breonna Taylor, another call and answer said “Whose lives matter? Black lives matter.”
Organizers would periodically move up and down the sidewalks handing out water bottles and asking people to move toward Northwest Avenue so protesters could spread out and adhere to social distancing guidelines to stop the spread of COVID-19. Most of the protesters were masked and tried to follow social distancing.
At the height of the protest, people stretched down Bakerview Road from Arctic Avenue past Northwest Avenue past the Heritage Bank and Biolife Plasma Services. The crowd thinned by 5:30 p.m., and by the third hour, someone had set up a speaker in the median between Bakerview and Northwest. The song “Freedom” by Beyoncé played and a few people in the crowd of mostly people in their 20s and 30s danced while holding their signs.
A steady rain eased halfway throughout the protest, with a light mist picking up at the end. Many drivers honked their horns throughout the day in support of the protest, including one man who held his horn down while stopped at the light at Northwest Avenue. He also rolled down his window and joined in the chant that was happening. Several people held their fists out their windows as they drove by, and one person held a sign that said “Amplify POC voices” out of their sunroof.
The protest drew a few detractors, including a man who showed up at the beginning who yelled “All lives matter.” After several protesters spoke with him, he left. A woman in clear rain poncho who was carrying groceries told the protesters to stop yelling because they were going to cause an accident.
Someone who drove by shouted “Blue lives matter” and several other cars that drove by had Trump and American flags on them. A woman who was in the passenger seat of a black pickup truck yelled vulgarities out her unrolled window and gestured at the protesters as the truck traveled down Bakerview toward Northwest.
A flyer circulating at the protest announced a March to Defund Police on Monday, June 15, in downtown Bellingham. The rally starts at noon at Railroad Avenue and Holly Street, with a march past the Bellingham police station to city hall starting at 12:30 p.m. “Building a movement in solidarity with people around the world,” the flyer said.
The organizers also announced the march at the end of the protest. Protesters were present until a little after 6:15 p.m.
Getting uncomfortable
Christopher Tramble said he attended the protest to show support for the Black Lives Matter movement. He said the protest was something that was easy to do and that most people could attend.
“I feel like a lot of stuff has happened recently over these last three, four weeks and this is a time where I feel like if we don’t speak out now, when will we speak out?” said Tramble, who is Black and lives in Bellingham.
Tramble said changes need to happen, especially with the police. He said there needs to be long-lasting reforms centered around African Americans, and any people of color, who are disproportionately targeted and treated throughout the legal and criminal justice system.
“The process is just terrible right now. It’s to the point where you can be doing literally nothing inside your own home and you’re still at risk of being murdered. You get pulled over for a simple traffic violation and you have to be worried about ‘Are you going to make it home tonight?’ and that’s unacceptable,” Tramble said. “That’s something that should be well, well past where we are today. So that’s where we need to start — start with the reforms, start with the change.”
Tramble said he was impressed with how Bellingham has turned out, and that the backing has been incredible. He said he wouldn’t have thought it would happen. Tramble said people can get into a bubble, especially in Whatcom County, where they think everything is OK, but in reality, that’s not true.
“I want them to be a little uncomfortable. I want them to know that this is something that’s real and this is something that’s happening,” Tramble said. “I think getting people uncomfortable to the point where they want to speak out is what I would like to happen.”
Being heard
Michele, one of the protest organizers, said in an interview with The Herald before the protest that the location was chosen because it’s one of the busiest intersections in the city with lots of traffic, and because the Costco and Fred Meyer nearby became shopping hubs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We know there are more of us than them, so let’s just literally stand together,” Michele said. “It’s not about impeding traffic — we’re making sure the city sees us.”
Michele said she wasn’t sure how many people would attend the protest, but said she hoped that protesters stretch along the sidewalks or public right of ways going all the way to Hannegan Road, which is nearly 3½ miles. By standing on the sidewalks, social distancing to slow the spread of the coronavirus can be maintained and people can still get by if needed, Michele said.
“We’re all Bellingham community members. So let’s use the sidewalks and be on them and exercise our Constitutional rights to peaceful protest,” she said. “As a Black person born and raised in America, just being seen has been so overwhelming in such a good way. … I never thought I would see anything like this.”
Michele said she didn’t want people to miss the message and get sidetracked about what the protest is or what a rally is doing, but said the focus should be on getting people into the streets and unified in believing that all Black lives matter.
“If we can show the rest of Whatcom County, Skagit County, Washington, the world and every small form, media and large form protest, everyone has eyes on it. It’s just to get together and say ‘I’m with you,’ even just to show the community,” Michele said. “Standing on the side of Bakerview does not seem like a dream Friday afternoon for me either, but it’s where we can go, where there will be a lot of us, and we can socially distance us as well and still be part of a larger thing.”
Michele said she encouraged people to use common sense when attending the protest and that if it seemed busy when driving by, people were encouraged to park somewhere safe and join where the line ends.
While the Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County chapter was promoting a silent march, Michele said it was an option to have this protest be silent, but that it didn’t have to be and would depend on what people were feeling and want to do in the moment. She said if the protest stayed silent, signs would be important and impactful.
“It’s honestly just about coming together and being seen together in mass. … We’re not going to be playing games or hula hooping. It’s so simple. We’ll literally stand together,” Michele said.
Racism in Bellingham
Michele, who moved to Bellingham three and a half years ago, said that racism is alive and active in Bellingham and Whatcom County. She said after the rally on June 6 was the first time she’s had white strangers wave to her in the street, or hold doors open for her, since she moved here.
“It’s where Black people live all the time. We’re used to being ignored,” she said. “It’s a protective layer for ourselves. We’re not bringing attention to ourselves because anything can happen. If I’m smiling too big, or my eyes are too wide, or I’m being too loud, that person can call or if they’re carrying, they can decide to take action and no one is going to be on our side.”
Before the Solidarity Rally, hate literature and leaflets promoting racist views were found on Western Washington University’s campus and in the Lettered Streets neighborhood in Bellingham.
She said it’s the people who are on the fence who she was hoping to reach with the protest. Michele said the movement against systemic racism that is moving across the country after a Black man died as a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes is only getting started and people of color will need more allies.
She said the more community members and allies that begin to meet each other and interact, the further the fight against racial injustice will go.
“If you’re not with us, you are with them. We know we need as much help as we can get. Taking a neutral stance just isn’t going to cut it. A neutral stance is what got us here,” she said. “We’re just asking you to open your eyes and take a look at everything we have to offer and come to a conclusion.”
Several businesses across Bellingham and Fairhaven announced this week that they would be closed Friday in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County chapter’s statewide call to action and strike.
Michele said the efforts, especially since some of the businesses have been closed throughout the pandemic, are commendable.
“They could have been open and made more money than they have before, but that’s not what this moment is about right now. So I actually appreciate it,” she said.
Bellingham Herald reporter Robert Mittendorf contributed to this story.
