“Put your shields down.”
Those were the words that over a hundred demonstrators chanted Monday night on the steps of the Capitol, as part of the Vigil for Black Lives.
And, to the surprise of many in the audience, they abided.
Russell Pointer, 26, said he was shocked to see that.
“It was a beautiful demonstration for them to do that,” Pointer told reporters after the event ended shortly before 8 p.m. “They also showed us they are not here to treat us as rioters but to treat us as protestors who are exercising their constitutional right.”
The vigil started at the War Memorial Plaza downtown. Demonstrators began singing, chanting and walking towards the state capitol, across the street, as lawmakers were leaving.
They were met by over 60 Tennessee National Guard troops with plastic shields. Behind the guardsmen were about 20 state troopers.
Democratic state representatives stood between the protestors and law enforcement.
Pointer, who was a speaker at the rally, said he wants people to see that they are “peaceful protestors.”
“We are following the law as best as we can,” Pointer said. “But we also understand that our voice has to be heard.”
