Courtesy of Austin American-Statesman
June 2, 2020
By Brandon Mulder
About three dozen residents lined the Old Iron Bridge in Bastrop on Sunday afternoon peacefully hoisting handwritten signs that denounced police violence after George Floyd, an unarmed black man, died last week as a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck.
“I can’t breathe,” read one sign, referring to a phrase uttered by Floyd as he suffocated on May 25, and by Eric Garner who was asphyxiated by a choke hold placed on him by a New York City police officer in 2014.
“Not one more killing,” read another sign, and “Respect existence or expect resistance.”
For roughly two hours the demonstrators stood along the bridge after it was organized on Facebook by Elizabeth Jarnigan. The downsized demonstration drew honks of support from passing drivers, along with the ire of one man’s middle finger.
One of those supporters was Bastrop Interim Police Chief Clint Nagy, who drove by pointing at the demonstrators then pointing at himself saying, “same team.” For over half an hour Nagy spoke with the protesters and encouraged them to engage him on topics ranging from injustices black people have suffered at the hands of law enforcement to the Bastrop Police Department’s use-of-force policies.
“We are on the same team. Some people may not want to be a part of that, or may not be a fan of the police, but we still have to have a conversation about what is going on and how we move forward,” Nagy said in an interview Tuesday.
The Bastrop police department already makes efforts to engage with its residents through casual conversations on the street or events like Coffee with a Cop. But Nagy admits that more needs to be done to break down barriers between law enforcement and the community it polices.
“I want to start something else. I’m a chief that’s going to be boots on the ground communicating,” he said. “When it comes to serious stuff like this, it needs to be face to face dialogue that is back and forth with mutual respect.”
‘This is wrong’
It was the second time Jarnigan, who’s been a Bastrop resident for 10 years, organized a protest in the city. The first was in response to the incarceration of immigrant families along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Jarnigan had initially wanted to join the weekend’s protests in Austin, but feared the heightened risk of contracting COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus. The Old Iron Bridge, she thought, was a place where the Bastrop community could get together while practicing social distancing.
“Mostly, I’m the polite white lady calling members of congress, calling the governor and speaking out on social media and to our elected representatives about issues in our nation,” Jarnigan said.
But this time she wanted to do more.
“A lot of people wanted to respond viscerally. I also wanted to respond viscerally. I wanted the African Americans in our community and everyone else in our community to see that there are a number of people who feel very strongly that this is wrong, that this must be called out,” she said.
“We just need to figure out a way that we can overcome this and overcome it for the last time,” Nagy said.
No demonstrations were held in Smithville, according to Smithville Police Chief David Repka. Neither were any held in Elgin, however on Monday morning Elgin Police Chief Patrick South issued a statement on Facebook after discussions with local NAACP leader Gwen Johnson and church leaders.
“Being a town of our size, media isn’t as available to us as other larger communities. Do not take the lack of media posts as a sign of acceptance or approval of what happened to Mr. Floyd,” South wrote. “The Minneapolis officers involved in this egregious incident should be and will be prosecuted for the crimes they committed. Know that we stand as allies against police misconduct, abuses and racial discrimination.”
Here are more photos from Sunday’s demonstration, contributed by Michele Rutherford, Madi Eden, and Robin Rieck.
