Fort Worth protests will continue ‘every day until we can get everybody’s attention’
It was 14-year-old Adrian Yarbrough’s birthday on Friday, but instead of a party, he asked his mom to let him come protest in downtown Fort Worth.
The demonstration against police brutality, organized by protest groups Enough is Enough and Black Love, marched from the Tarrant County Courthouse to West 7th Street. While demonstrators started to gather at the courthouse at about 5:30 p.m., marching didn’t start till about 7:30 p.m.
While at the courthouse, Fort Worth resident Seychelle Leake said two officers told her that they were going to start enforcing the law. She said they told her that stopping traffic is breaking the law and she told them that it didn’t make sense because officers helped stop traffic so people could march.
In a video shared on Twitter by a NewsRadio 1080 KRLD reporter, officers told Leake that protesters could not enter restaurants or block entrances or sidewalks. They also told Leake that cursing at a business’s customers or others in public is against the law if someone is offended. Leake said officers didn’t say anything when expletives were yelled at her.
This comes after an incident occurred Thursday at Texas de Brazil where demonstrators said a patron threw water in the face of one protester. Video taken by a customer inside the restaurant shows protesters chanting, including some vulgar language, and arguing with patrons.
Once marching started down Main Street on Friday, protesters stopped at Sundance Square. Over a megaphone, they asked patrons of downtown businesses if they knew why the group was marching. They then proceeded to tell the customers they were marching to combat systemic racism and police brutality. Some patrons listened while others walked away or went about their business.
Marching then resumed and demonstrators stopped at multiple businesses — asking diners on restaurant patios if they were with them or against them and if they knew what these protests were about.
At one point, Lucid Shinobi, who led some of the marching, told patrons that they were going to be out there every night until everyone understood their fight.
Leake said they can tell people are still tuning them out.
“We’re out here every day until we can get everybody’s attention and everybody can hear us,” she said. “We’re gonna keep coming back.”
Yarbrough said enough is enough and all races need to come together against the police.
Fort Worth resident Rod Smith said Enough is Enough is a mix of all races that are trying to get rid of systemic racism.
“We’re tired of being oppressed,” Smith said. “We’re united to make our voices heard.”
When the group made it back to the Tarrant County Courthouse, speakers expressed their concerns with a statement Mayor Betsy Price released Friday, which says that she wants to be certain that existing police policies limiting the use of force are applied.
They said these same policies were in place when Fort Worth resident Atatiana Jefferson was shot by former officer Aaron Dean in her home.
And while Yarbrough could have celebrated his birthday differently, he came to protest because he believes George Floyd’s death was the last straw.
His mother, Erica Freeman, said her son is growing up and people are going to treat him accordingly.
Freeman said she’s taught him since he was 3 years old to comply with the police, make no sudden moves and to try to do his best all the time.
“It’s a shame that you have taken keys to be like that,” she said. “It’s sad, because now you feel like you have to police the police.”
And while Yarbrough thinks it might not be possible, he wants the protests and movement to lead to no more racism.
“That’s the main problem that we have in this world,” he said.
This story was originally published June 12, 2020 at 7:15 PM.
