{"id":52121,"date":"2020-08-15T18:50:11","date_gmt":"2020-08-16T00:50:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/counterprotesters-bring-guns-flags-to-blm-rally-in-durango\/"},"modified":"2020-08-16T00:50:11","modified_gmt":"2020-08-16T00:50:11","slug":"counterprotesters-bring-guns-flags-to-blm-rally-in-durango","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/counterprotesters-bring-guns-flags-to-blm-rally-in-durango\/","title":{"rendered":"Counterprotesters bring guns, flags to BLM rally in Durango"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"A
A Black Lives Matter rally-goer holds a sign Friday near Buckley Park while counterprotesters gathered on the other side of Main Avenue. The counterprotesters tried to disrupt the weekly Black Lives Matter rally, which has been held every Friday for about 2\u00bd months in the park.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

At least 70 counterprotesters showed up Friday night to disrupt the weekly Black Lives Matter rally held in Buckley Park, creating a tense scene of us-versus-them in the heart of downtown Durango.<\/p>\n

It was the first large counterprotest at the weekly Black Lives Matter event in Durango, which began after George Floyd was killed by Minnesota police in May. Recent social media posts leading up to Friday\u2019s rally discussed organizing a counterprotest, with commenters vowing to bring guns, which prompted concern among police. The protesters shouted chants and carried signs. They stood on the opposite side of Main Avenue from the park.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m upset. I am hurt by people who I thought were my family,\u201d said Sharina Ramsay-Adams, who attended the Black Lives Matter rally, adding she knew people across the street. She identified as an American first, but said growing up as a person of color in Durango, she was called \u201cnasty\u201d names.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will not be intimidated, and I feel like they were trying to intimidate,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

In Buckley Park, a crowd of about 300 Black Lives Matter supporters listened to speakers. Normally, the event is calm with families in attendance. It takes on the atmosphere of an outdoor classroom.<\/p>\n

\"Speakers
Speakers at the weekly Black Lives Matter rally were largely unperturbed by the counterprotesters who gathered Friday near the corner of 12th Street and Main Avenue on Friday.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

This week, speakers talked about peaceful protesting and Martin Luther King Jr., against a backdrop of revving motorcycles and chants of \u201cAmerica\u201d and \u201call lives matter\u201d from the other side of the street. Some of the counterprotesters carried guns on their hips. One had nunchucks in his back pocket.<\/p>\n

\u201cBack the blue,\u201d chanted counterprotesters.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re all going to have different perspectives,\u201d said a Black Lives Matter speaker as the chant continued. \u201cIt is important for us to uplift.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBack the blue,\u201d the counterprotesters chanted.<\/p>\n

When speakers said it was the first time they had taken a leadership role of a movement, the crowd applauded with a standing ovation. The counterprotesters chanted \u201cU-S-A\u201d louder.<\/p>\n

\"Counterprotesters
Counterprotesters showed up Friday night to disrupt the weekly Black Lives Matter rally, which has been held every Friday for about 2&#xbd; months in Durango&#x2019;s Buckley Park. Protesters brought flags and guns, and chanted &#x201c;U-S-A&#x201d; and &#x201c;all lives matter.&#x201d;<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

City Councilor Barbara Noseworthy said she has attended nearly all the Black Lives Matter events in Durango.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important for people to know that a city councilor is here. I want to be available,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She spoke to several people who showed up at the Black Lives Matter rally after hearing there would be a counterprotest, she said. Mayor Dean Brookie, who also attended, said he was proud to see passionate citizens in a safe public forum.<\/p>\n

Officers from the Durango Police Department lined the edges of Buckley Park, in greater numbers this week because of the counterprotest. At the beginning of the night, a few counterprotesters shook hands with officers as they marched around the block.<\/p>\n

Kristeen Melrose of Durango said she was protesting the Black Lives Matter event because she felt her freedoms were being taken and she wanted to support police.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re all American. All of our lives are being torn apart,\u201d she said. \u201cThey\u2019re rallying for somebody who is supposed to be a hero? It\u2019s destroying our community. None of these people even know him,\u201d referring to George Floyd.<\/p>\n

Lu Carter said the division \u201csucks,\u201d and that holding police accountable doesn\u2019t begin with protests, rather, it begins with upper management. Other counterprotesters said they were there to support \u201cAmerica\u201d and the idea that all lives matter.<\/p>\n

\"At
At least 70 counterprotesters showed up Friday night to disrupt the weekly Black Lives Matter rally held in Buckley Park.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Many said they wanted justice for 5-year-old Cannon Hinnant of North Carolina who was killed last week, saying he was a white boy killed by a Black man.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about all the white kids, like Cannon?\u201d said Theresa Morris, a Durango resident. \u201cThey\u2019re not saying his name.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both sides of Main Avenue remained crowded as speakers began to wrap up the Black Lives Matter event around 8 p.m.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone\u2019s experience is valid,\u201d said one speaker, adding that people have to hold themselves accountable. \u201cHow you respond to the situation is of the utmost importance.\u201d<\/p>\n

smullane@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\"Black
Black Lives Matter rally-goers maintain social distance while listening to speakers Friday in Buckley Park.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Weekly event mostly peaceful for 2\u00bd months<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":52122,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[28],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-52121","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-headlines"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52121","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52121"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52121\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52122"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52121"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52121"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52121"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=52121"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}