Youth protests set for tonight; more to come

By Tom Peterson

“We’re not going to back down,” said Rosie Strange this morning. 

The Dalles organizer of Gorge-wide protests in the wake of George Floyd’s death said there is one goal. “We need to get people of color in those communities to come out and feel safe. We need to create a safe Gorge that is anti-racist - Cascade locks to The Dalles.” 

Strange said multiple protests are coming, starting tonight, Wednesday, June 10. A youth rally is scheduled for protesters to meet at the post office in The Dalles at 6:30 p.m. The Hood River protest was set for 5:30 p.m., starting at Providence Hospital.

“We are de-escalation; we are non confrontational,” she said. “Our message is not to be angry with white people. It is to deal with racism.”

“We have lots more rallies coming,” she added, noting Trout Lake, Wash., is set for Saturday and another rally is being planned for Goldendale.

Strange spearheaded a highly attended march on June 6 in The Dalles, with some 500 people participating.

No reports of violence or actions by the police were noted in The Dalles Police log or Wasco County Sheriff’s Office log released on Monday, June 8. 

“Before the protest, she (Rosie Strange) called everybody out to resist violence.” said Robbie Denning who participated in the March. “We all called out, ‘Do not Engage’ three times,” she said. “Rosie did a great job of getting the word out.” 

The protest started at Thompson Park and marched on Third and Second streets through downtown. 

The group stopped in front of The Dalles Police Station and called out George Floyd’s name. Marchers then laid down in the street for 8 minutes and 42 seconds - the time that Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin held a knee on George Floyd’s neck on May 25, killing Floyd.  

Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was laid to rest on Tuesday in his hometown of Houston in a nationally televised funeral. His name has become the latest rallying cry for protesters and organizers around the country who have been pushing for fundamental changes in policing and social justice for decades.

“People have been watching protests all week,” Denning said of why the march was so well attended on Saturday. “They’re feeling helpless, and they do not want to go to Portland to march.” 

At a smaller rally in The Dalles on June 1 , Heath Kowalewski stood at the corner of Court and Third streets, holding a sign that read, “Say his name George Floyd RIP”.   

“I feel like it is my responsibility as a white person to step up and show up and ask other white folks that have privilege to ask what’s going on,” he said. “All white people are benefiting from the systems that are harming and killing black and brown people.”

At the same rally, Strange said, “I am here because I am a person of color. I’m tired of seeing police brutality in our community. I know people in our community that have been abused by police, including myself.”

Strange said while the protests were non-violent, she also pointed out that protesters such as herself had the right to protect themselves. “I am receiving hundreds of threats again,” she said. “I am non-violent because I can protect myself.”

Local businesses are being sought for support for displaying anti-racist statements and artwork done by people of color, said Strange. 

Strange is actively seeking people of color to do protest and educational work. “If you have a voice to share, I would like to mentor and train them,” she said. She can be contacted on Facebook/Black Lives Matter in The Gorge.

“I’m really in this,” she said. “I’m not giving up. I feel we are making a change.”