Rally: ‘Silence is not an option’

Monday, an estimated 500-600 people lined State Street in a similar, far larger rally, also peaceful.

The assemblage was part of a national movement throughout the U.S. in response to the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer who has since been charged with murder.

The weekend saw violence and some property damage in cities throughout the U.S., including Portland, as citizens took to streets to express their anger over discriminatory treatment of people of color at the hands of police and other authorities. Gorge residents held signs including “I Can’t Breath,” Floyd’s last words, “No Justice No Peace”, “White Silence = Violence,” “Say Their Names” and “Disarm Hate (PS I Love You).”

The Hood River gathering, however, emphasized allyship with people of color, and the need for members of the white majority to work to end what some referred to as institutionalized racism in the U.S.

“I acknowledge that I am a racist. I hold racist views, and it is up to me, to all of us, to change that,” said one speaker.

“Change happens from within, and it starts from a moment of silence,” said Stasiewicz, who urged the crowd to be silent for a moment and then hum or send positive vibration sounds as a way of centering as a group.

The rally moved out for a four-block down Fourth, Oak and Second streets to the Hood River Police station in City Hall. There, about 125 people held a short kneel-in that blocked the street.

The names of people who have died at the hands of law enforcement were read aloud.

Police were nowhere to be seen during the 90-minute rally, march and kneel-in.

People of all ages stood, many with signs, as speakers led chants and called for societal change including support for the plight of Native Americans, immigrants. One African-American man took an American flag from another man at the rally, and marched up and down past the crowd, pumping his fist and shouting thanks.

Lana Jack, a Celilo Wyam native, urged the crowd to do what it can to help the Indigenous residents of the Gorge who often live without running water, a serious health concern during the coronavirus crisis. 

Clean clothing and bedding items such as blankets, sleeping bags and pillows can be dropped off weekdays at Secure Storage, 1400 Tucker Road in Hood River, between 10 a.m. and 4p.m., and Jack has established a Covid relief account via GoFundMe. She can be reached at wayamtama@yahoo.com.