Over the last few nights, Des Moines, Iowa has become a battleground for protesters and local law enforcement. Local businesses from Merle Hay Rd. all the way to Court Ave. have been looted, with windows smashed and destruction littering the ground. Protesters have been marching to bring attention to law enforcement and stand against the wrongful actions of the police. The people are truly scared for their lives. They fear police forces across the country will only protect their own officers, not the community they have sworn to protect. People here and all over America are angry and they demand justice.
These protests spread quickly across the United States immediately after the wrongful death of George Floyd. George Floyd was a Minneapolis black man who died after being held in police custody and was subdued by a police officer’s knee on Floyd’s neck for over 7 minutes. While being arrested George pleaded, “Please, I can’t breathe!” to no avail. After his death was made public, the four arresting officers of Floyd have been fired from the Minneapolis police department, but only one, Derek Chauvin, has been charged with the death of George Floyd. This caused an uproar that was heard across the nation. Protests, looting, chaos and violence have erupted in many American cities.
The first night of protest in Des Moines was Friday, May 29th. It began during the day with a well-organized and peaceful protest held at the Capitol building in downtown Des Moines. By nightfall the protesters reacted violently when tear gas and flash grenades were tossed into the crowd of protesters at the Police Station. Police made tactical advancements towards the protesters and refused to back down amidst glass bottles and tear gas being thrown back in their direction. Reporters from all over the metro were present on the first night of the protest and had to avoid the anti-riot, non-lethal weaponry that law enforcement was constantly deploying.
On the following night of protest, Mothers Against Violence organized a +1,000 person march on Des Moines as what began as a very peaceful demonstration. By night, the Des Moines Courthouse was attacked by a separate group of protesters. Windows were destroyed and graffiti riddled the side of the courthouse reading “Fuck The Police” alongside symbols of anarchy and justice. The protesters then marched down Court Ave. towards the Capitol Building to continue protesting against police brutality. At the Capitol building, the police forces pushed the protesters away with tear gas and flash grenades. They continued to push protesters back towards the Courthouse on Court Ave. Fights broke out on the Court Ave. bridge where law enforcement began rushing protesters with force, showing little restraint against using violence towards peaceful activism. Protesters were forcefully snatched and tossed around as others tried to free them from the grasp of the police. The protest ended early Sunday morning with Court Ave. businesses sustaining broken windows and smashed storefronts. Over 40 people were arrested in Des Moines, Saturday night and Sunday morning.
On the third day of the protests, The Guerrillas were called to document these events. We began the day with a peaceful demonstration on MLK Pkwy. Marching and occupying entire streets, eventually ending with a gathering at Forest Park. People came together at this rally to speak about their discomfort and anger with the police departments and their use of force across the country. They expressed their anger saying they “Want policies, and power,” and demanded that police departments be held accountable for their wrongful actions. Peaceful citizens of all backgrounds were genuinely scared for their lives as Americans. Ironically, even at protests and rallies against police brutality, they can not hide their violent methods. They continue to brutalize the people who stand up to them. The police were watching the demonstration, keeping their distance for the entirety of its duration.
The protest then broke out and became violent several hours later at the Merle Hay Target around 7pm where we were following the local news coverage on the way to the demonstration. Around this time, Andrea Sahouri, a news reporter for KCCI, was arrested for failure to disperse. Tear gas was shot into the crowd and smoke grenades were thrown at the protesters in front of the Merle Hay Target. Our camera crew did come face to face with tear gas and had to run away to safety. Police made aggressive advancements towards the protesters with armored vehicles and full riot gear. Some bystanders solemnly stood by and watched the chaos, while others acted alone and held their ground against the police.
Iowa House Representative Ako Abdul-Samad from the 35th District has served in the Iowa House of Representatives since 2007. Ako has been present at all of the George Floyd demonstrations in Des Moines the last few days. He has pleaded for peace and for deals to be made between police officers and protesters. Ako also suggested on Sunday night; marching from Douglas Ave. to downtown Des Moines where protesters had already marched on the blocks towards Hickman Rd. leaving Ako behind. After marching up and down the Merle Hay area the protesters came to a standstill in front of the Verizon store on Douglas and Merle Hay. Ako listened to the people, heard their voices, and then told everyone that they were going to make a deal. He then asked protesters to kneel with local law enforcement. Some protesters were in agreement and began to kneel. Others began to chant, “Fuck that deal,” and began to grow angry and smash windows at the Verizon store.
Earlier in the day police forces agreed to kneel with protesters at the Des Moines Police Headquarters. This moving gesture showed that progress can be made when violence methodology is not deployed. It is times like these where we begin to wonder how things might change and if there will always be those ready to destroy the progress made, instead of building upon it. It is times like these where we begin to question our modern-day society and the social systems that create problems while trying to solve them.
Meanwhile, Ako was trying to persuade the protesters to kneel with the police force. While some began to kneel, others began to fight. Confrontations broke out simultaneously as the kneeling began. It immediately brought people back on their feet to handle the situation. Soon after, a smoke grenade was thrown into the crowd to break up the brawls. This again put the entire situation at a standstill. Peaceful protesters pleaded to the crowd to stop the violence while others intervened with the escalating situations at hand. The night ended with people discussing their frustrations over a mega horn with Ako as he responded peacefully and insightfully to each protester’s concerns.
Many opinions were voiced in the middle of Douglas Ave. by people of all races and ages. The majority of the people in the crowd were in their 20’s. But age didn’t stop anyone from speaking their peace. All voices were heard equally. Children and adults wanted their voices to be heard, and rightfully so. Their frustrations paralleled the frustrations of our entire nation. Their voices echoed the voices of the people in Minneapolis, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and everywhere else. This situation did not only happen in Minneapolis with George Floyd. It happens everywhere, all the time.
This is our chance to stand up for what is right. Everyone deserves to live a healthy, happy, and free life. The social injustices within America have gone unconfronted for too long. When will the people be able to feel safe in the presence of their own police force? When will the people finally get the change they deserve? Is there an end to the war on racism in America? When will people finally feel equal to one another? And finally, when will people feel safe to live side-by-side with one another?
Edited and Revised by Tarun Yenna
