(Wednesday, June 3rd) Peaceful protesters marched through Des Moines with four messages they demanded of city officials. The demands are as follows.
- To pass a racial profiling ordinance.
- To release protestors from police custody.
- To remove the city-mandated curfew.
- To restore felon voting rights.
After hours of marching around the downtown Grand and Ingersoll area, the protestors ended up at Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie’s house. He de-escalated the situation by telling his security to stand down and move back as the Mayor stepped in front of his security and began to talk with the protestors directly. Here, he wrote down their demands and had a productive dialogue with the protestors. He responded to every single demand and promised to push for change. Then they celebrated.
Protestors gathered in the streets yelling, cheering, and chanting. Music blared from car stereos as people filled the streets. One of the organizers of the protest said, “This is a big win for us, but it’s not over.” He went on to explain that no matter what, they will be out here every night until changes are actually made. The next day the 9 PM curfew of Des Moines was lifted.
The Guerrillas were able to join the movement again on Thursday, June 4th. As we got to the protest, news had been released that a protestor had been arrested before the demonstration had even started. He was later released when the arresting officers realized they had apprehended the wrong person thinking he had multiple warrants out for his arrest when there were none. He was later brought back to the protest by the arresting officers.
People gathered in the middle of the intersections downtown and spoke to the masses with microphones and amplifiers. Organizers talked about what it will take to get where our country needs to go. To end racism at the hands of the police and to come together in order to work towards peaceful change around the world. The marching continued throughout the streets of downtown Des Moines stopping in front of the bluely-lit courthouse to address concerns and how to move forward. Throughout the night the crowd continued to grow exponentially. Music blared and people danced peacefully in front of the courthouse before marching down Court Ave.
The crowd then made a right turn on 3rd St. towards the Tipsy Crow. Tipsy Crow is known for being one of the few bars in Des Moines that has a dress code. The dress code includes no baggy jeans, no Do-rags, no side-ways caps, no plain T-shirts, and no construction boots. This dress code is clearly in place to intentionally but discreetly discriminate against black patrons who want to attend Tipsy Crow.
Here the crowd stopped and sat down right in front of the establishment booing and chanting, “Fuck, Tipsy Crow”. We then followed correspondents with amplifiers that were set up directly in front of the business entrance. The organizers expressed their frustration with coming to this bar and how the owners had blatantly expressed their disapproval of this protest. The protesters then started chanting, “Walk Out!” to the patrons at the bar, where nearly everybody did. People cheered and hugged them as they walked out of the bar. Protesters continued to chant until the doors of Tipsy Crow slammed shut. The crowd erupted in cheers and applause.
The Tipsy Crow was left completely unharmed by every single protestor. That’s not to say that Tipsy Crow won’t be harmed financially, because over an estimated 1,500 people were exposed to Tipsy Crow’s racist agenda and agreed to boycott the establishment until changes were made. This is what the people are protesting for – active change. For too long, black people have been ignored and mistreated. Now is the time for everyone to stand up and speak up. Now is the time for us to shout to make our voices heard. And once again we won’t stop until their voices are heard and changes are made. The Guerrillas will continue to report from the frontlines and pledge to maintain this positive and peaceful protest in any way we can.
Edited and Revised by Tarun Yenna
