Thread by @alanna_smithh

Hey y’all. I’m in Kensington covering today’s “Above the Law” protest, organized by the United Black People’s Allyship organization, drawing attention to police brutality and the case of Calgary’s Godfred Addai-Nyamekye who was violently arrested by police. #yyc

About 100 or so folks are at today’s protest. UBPA CEO Adam Massiah is speaking now. He says there needs to be a new body to look into complaints/grievances about Calgary police officers. #yyc

Kay Layton, Calgary’s Black Lives Matter chapter president, is sharing a personal story now. He says when he was a teenager a police officer assaulted him. “I was throwing up blood on the ground,” he says. “They just left me laying on the ground.”

Layton is speaking about a second incident. He says police officers drew guns on him and his friends saying the car was stolen. It wasn’t. Speaks to racial profiling, he says. #yyc

“These are some of my experiences but I have 30, 40 more,” he says. “We are the difference.”

Massiah is speaking again. He is drawing attention to starlight tours, and says while the majority of these incidents happen to Indigenous folks Calgary’s Addai-Nyamekye experienced the same. #YYC

Another speaker is up now. He says three vans drove towards him when he was 14 and hanging out with a group of friends (all white but him). He says five cops hopped out with guns drawn, three drawn at him.

“I was so scared when they said hands up. I thought I was going to die at 14 years old,” he says, adding he was the only one cuffed and put in the back of a police car. #yyc

Protestors are marching towards the courthouse now, chanting “Black Lives Matter,” “Stop police brutality” and “No justice, no peace, no racist police." #yyc

Crowd has definitely grown. Imagine there’s a couple hundred demonstrators now. #yyc

“This is racists versus everybody else. There are more of us than there are of them. We need to stand up when we see injustice. Silence is compliance,” says Massiah. #yyc

Now chants of “we need change,” “justice for Godfred” and “Black lives are beautiful.” #yyc

“What do we want? Justice. When do we want it? Now.” #yyc

We’re at the courthouse now. Massiah is speaking about Godfred and all he’s been through. “He has support with us,” he says. #yyc

UBPA founder Shauna Porter is speaking now. “The idea that Black is dangerous never came from the police. It was taught to the police... this is generational.” #yyc

“If it’s change that you want, if it’s change that you are looking for... if we don’t want our children 20 years from now to have to do this, you know what we have to do. We have to dismantle the system from within,” says Porter. #yyc

She says folks need to worry about more than the police, everyone needs to work to dismantle systemic racism in the school system, the court system, governments and more. #yyc

“Everybody has to be addressed,” says Porter. “You have school systems, you have CPS, you have health care, you have the law.”

“A good person is anyone who sees injustice and not only says something but does something,” says Porter. She says allyship starts away from the protests. “Find what you will be passionate about, find what you will stick with and do it.” #yyc

Porter says we need “sustainable change.” On the 14th, there will be a town hall meeting for Black people by Black people to understand who/what needs to be held accountable. #yyc

Massiah says “it has gone from serving and protecting to surveilling and harassing” about the police. He says only 8 of 2,200 officers are part of the local CPS diversity team. That’s not enough, he says. #yyc

Massiah says we need to do the work now. George Floyd’s death has created a movement and people need to keep the momentum. #yyc

Massiah says they want to start a petition to creat an external body to investigate police misconduct, instead of ASIRT and internal investigations within police departments. #yyc

The march continues towards Stephen Avenue. Massiah has invited any police officers present to speak to the crowd. #yyc

Kneeling on Stephen Avenue. Making our way past many packed patios. Some people show support, others don’t. #yyc

“If you want to go fast, go home. If you want to go far, go as a group,” says Massiah. “We have to keep our foot on the pedal.” #yyc

“I hope you look into yourself and look into your souls and remember the oath you took to serve and protect people,” says Massiah, directed at police. #yyc

Arriving at city hall now. #yyc

“Please continue doing the good fight,” says Massiah, who urges the crowd to support Godfred. This appears to be the GoFundMe for him. #yyc gf.me/u/ykqpgm

Here's our file from today's protest. #yyc calgaryherald.com/news/local-new…