‘Ignorance is a disease’

From the open sunroof of a blue Toyota SUV stood 11-year-old Isaiah Hansen holding a heavy paper sign inscribed with a raised, clenched black fist he had drawn earlier with a permanent marker. Hansen displayed the insignia, a symbol for the Black Lives Matter movement, high above his head while the vehicle drove laps around the town square in memory of people of color killed unjustly.

Several other cars rallied in front and behind Hansen, joining together in a peaceful and socially distanced “caravan protest,” rallying for justice. Alivia Conley, 11, had also created a handmade sign for the protest. It, too, was emblazoned with the black fist. The trifold cardboard poster read: “If you think a mask makes it hard to breathe, imagine being black in America.”

Alivia, her brother Ryan and father Melvin Conley taped the sign onto the passenger side doors of their vehicle Saturday afternoon before circling around the Jasper County Courthouse. Melvin and the other participants of the protest honked their horns at passersby and then raised their fists in support. Alivia and her brother followed suit.

“I feel good that I get to be a part of it and get the word out,” Alivia said before heading out with her family members to the town square. “We need to speak for the people who can’t. It’s really sad that this is happening still. In the past, it was still bad then. You’d think it had ended in the past, but it’s still going on. It’s just messed up.”

This wasn’t the first protest of this matter to take place in Newton or Jasper County. On June 1, peaceful protestors and police took a knee on the courthouse lawn in remembrance of George Floyd, who died in while in the custody of Minneapolis police. Officers pinned down the Black man so he could not breathe. The incident was caught on video and circulated on social media.

A memorial was held in Mingo on Saturday, too. The caravan protest, organized by Racial Harmony & Justice, fashioned itself as a type of funeral procession for Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery “and so many other people of color who have had their lives stolen from them.” The protest also called for accountability toward the “the system that killed them.”

The message was heard by elected officials who stood on the courthouse lawn, who stood by in support of caravan’s cause. Rep. Wes Breckenridge, D-Newton, said it was wonderful to see the peaceful protesting and local folks making sure their voices are heard. Leaders, he suggested, need to be “fighting for action, not just words.”

“Policy and progress,” Breckenridge said. “I think what we see here with the people reaching out, they’re looking for that justice. I think seeing law enforcement involved and the positive relationship and trust we’re building is just outstanding. Hopefully we can continue this process up to the legislature, into policy and really progress us forward in justice reform.”

Sen. Zach Nunn, R-Bondurant, said the demonstration was a great reflection of what it means to peacefully assemble and draw attention to “an issue that’s rippled across our country.” The peaceful actions from protests are not falling on deaf ears, either. Nunn said the messages have resonated with both Republicans and Democrats at the statehouse.

Nunn added he’s in favor of three initiatives: 1) ending chokehold policies for police departments across the state, 2) instating an oversight board prohibiting “bad officers” from transferring departments to still commit and 3) allowing the state attorney general to have oversight over investigations surrounding community law enforcement agencies.

Vehicles drove clockwise around the courthouse for 19 minutes and 46 seconds. Organizers that posted the event on Facebook said this specific time allotment signifies the 8 minutes and 46 seconds Floyd was held under the knee of a white, now ex-police officer; the eight police-issued bullets that pierced Taylor’s body; and the three, white-vigilante bullets that took the life of Arbery.

Rev. Jessica Petersen, of the Newton Congregational United Church of Christ, led the caravan with her husband, Martin Mutai, and their son, Jabali. As a co-founder of the Jasper County-based Racial Harmony & Justice organization, Petersen said people want to stand up for justice and equality, but some may be more hesitant to take part in in-person demonstrations because of COVID-19.

“The pandemic has complicated matters, making it impossible for them to get out there in a way that limits the spread of this deadly virus that we continue to learn about,” Petersen said. “I have had to weigh the risk of exposing my family and others to the virus or showing up with a sign and mask to march. I wanted to provide a third option where folks and I myself can do both.”

On the passenger side door where Mutai was sitting, a sign written with all capital letters read: “HAKI YETU.” The Kenyan-born American said the Swahili phrase translates to “our right.” Some protestors had chanted this slogan in Minneapolis in late May. Mutai has lived in the United States since 2011. From the get-go, Mutai noticed there was still problems with racism in America. An ignorance.

“I say with confidence: Ignorance is a disease,” Mutai said.

By the time Mutai arrived stateside, the execution of Troy Davis was the top story in the country. He remembered how Davis, who was black, maintained his innocence in the murder of an off-duty police officer Mark MacPhail in Savannah, Ga. The case drew national attention. Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported in 2011 that some maintained Davis’ case was full of reasonable doubt.

This event, too, sparked a nationwide debate. Davis’ death is what made Mutai first realize something is not right. Mutai has also experienced racial discrimination by a former employer. A co-worker was shocked Mutai could perform his job duties and called him “a name (he) knows is not right.” Nothing was done about this, he said. It was ignored.

“That was the first incident of racism I ever experienced,” he said. “As time continued I started observing more and more and more. I learned something about a second country. Now I know it’s a problem, especially as a dad since I have to talk to my son in a few years about how the world is going to treat you. That’s the saddest thing about it.”

Much like the June 1 protest in downtown Newton, the calls to action were in a very visible part of town. Mutai said the messages the caravan conveys will hopefully reach the people in power to let them know there is a “certain way a particular kind of people get treated.” As evidenced by the “inhumane” way officers pinned Floyd’s neck for allegedly using a counterfeit 20-dollar-bill.

“We are not violent people,” Mutai said. “We are just standing for our rights. We want the people in power to listen to us. We need to come together. I know it’s going to be a challenge. It’s going to take years. People are going to die trying to fight their right. People died back in the days. I hope our rally over here will make a tiny impact to the world.”

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext. 6560 or cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com