There are a lot of youthful faces behind Peoria's recent peaceful protests. Young Revolution led last weekend's "We Matter March." Another rally called "Are We Next" is scheduled for this weekend. WCBU talked to some of the organizers about what drove them to action and what they want to see from the Peoria community.Listen to the story.
Young Revolution is newly-formed group of about 20 organizers. Some just graduated high school. Others are in the midst of their college careers.
Sincere Williams, co-vice president of Young Revolution, said the "We Matter March" was the product of group chat.
“We were just a group of friends, originally," he said. "We got together for this idea and then we did this amazing march, and then we were like ‘Okay, we can’t stop. We have to keep fighting.’ We organized a government. We were just like ‘We’ll call ourselves Young Revolution.’ And here we are today.”
For many of them, it was the first protest they'd ever organized — and it ended being a huge success, drawing nearly a thousand people to Peoria's downtown to protest police brutality.
Erin Reid manages social media for the group. She said the initial result is largely thanks to a Facebook campaign. But she said demonstrations surrounding Floyd's death also feel different than previous uprisings.
"People are starting to actually realize that this is a problem," she said. "They hear us. They hear us say it, but some people don’t actually have to deal with it, so they don’t understand how big of deal it really is.”
Racism is something most of Young Revolution's members say they experience first hand and they say cases where police kill black people only enforce what they already know.
Reid said growing up in a predominantly white neighborhood, she was one of five black people in her class.
"You see how different people’s lives are and then you just kind of sit there and think about it and you think it’s not right and you just want to change it," she said.
Jordan Butler, chief of staff for Young Revolution, said he faced police injustice first hand.
When Butler was a sophomore in high school, living in Phoenix, Arizona, he said he walked to McDonald's with friends after basketball practice. There were already squad cars when they arrived.
“I guess ten minutes prior to us coming over, a lady had got robbed by another black man," he said. "The police were on the scene and as soon as I came over, me being the only black person in my group, I was instantly detained. I had to spend the night in juvie. I ended up getting out that morning.”
Butler said he was released after community members told police it wasn't him. The actual suspect was a grown man. Butler said he was just a kid.
“I took a little bit of the fall for him and I had nothing to do with it," he said. "As you can imagine, being that young and being put in that situation, I thought my life was over.”
Butler said that's when he realized that could happen to any black person, at any time, without reason.
Young Revolution members say they are angry, rightfully so, over the murders committed by police around the country and in Peoria. They chose to keep their activism non-violent.
But Williams said they don't think others have an obligation to do the same.
“Although rioting, a lot of us don’t agree with it and we’d rather take the peaceful route, it’s not our position to tell people that they shouldn’t riot or they can’t riot," he said. "They’re rioting because they’re mad, you know? Not all of them, but a lot of them, are rioting because they’re tired of racial injustice.”
Reid said even taking the peaceful route, the response has been mixed. And because the group is social media-focused, members are easily accessible for messages of support and condemnation.
“I feel like when we get the negative messages, that’s a positive thing in a sense," she said. "We’re reaching the people who need to be changed. They see us, you know what I mean?”
And she said parents and older mentors have been cautiously encouraging of their efforts.
“I think that they have been through things and they have seen things and they don’t want us to go through it. But they still get where we’re coming from," she said. "They want to help us, but they don’t necessarily know how sometimes in this world.”
Young Revolution's organizers say they will continue holding events drawing attention to injustice and racism. But they're also pushing for policy change and a more cooperative community in Peoria.
Williams said he'd like to see more collaboration between the city council, the local NAACP chapter and the police department.
"I think all three of them working together and then communicating with the city would be so effective," he said. "But, I don’t know it, it just seems like they’re all kind of three separate groups right now, and then they come together in times like these. We need you guys to be working together 24/7 so we can prevent things like these, especially in our own city.”
Meanwhile, Butler is calling for people to take responsibility for their own actions — and help others in their lives to do the same.
“We just need unity and accountability," he said. "It’s no longer acceptable to just be ‘not racist’ like you claim, but not with the movement at all. I feel you should hold your peers, parents, family, whoever accountable. If you see it, get on it. Let them know ‘Hey, that’s not acceptable.’”
It's a war they say they plan to wage as long as the status quo persists.
We’re living in unprecedented times when information changes by the minute. WCBU will continue to be here for you, keeping you up-to-date with the live, local and trusted news you need. Help ensure WCBU can continue with its in-depth and comprehensive COVID-19 coverage as the situation evolves by making a contribution.
Copyright 2021 WCBU. To see more, visit WCBU. 9(MDIwMjIxMDA0MDE0Mzk4NDIzNjA0OGQ5Yg001))
