Hundreds converge on Kalispell for protest
Nick Brester, of Kalispell, holds a sign depicting George Floyd during a protest denouncing police violence against people of color at Depot Park in Kalispell on Saturday, June 6. Floyd, a black man, died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes while handcuffed on May 25. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Nick Brester, of Kalispell, holds a sign depicting George Floyd during a protest denouncing police violence against people of color at Depot Park in Kalispell on Saturday, June 6. Floyd, a black man, died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes while handcuffed on May 25. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Protesters hold signs along North Main Street at Depot Park in Kalispell on Saturday.
A group of people unassociated with the protest gather to watch over the Veterans Memorial at Depot Park during a protest denouncing police violence against people of color in Kalispell on Saturday, June 6. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
A group of people unassociated with the protest gather to watch over the Veterans Memorial at Depot Park during a protest denouncing police violence against people of color in Kalispell on Saturday, June 6. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Drivers in pickup trucks “roll coal” as they drive past a group of protesters along North Main Street at Depot Park during a protest denouncing police violence against people of color in Kalispell on Saturday, June 6. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Nick Brester, of Kalispell, holds a sign depicting George Floyd during a protest denouncing police violence against people of color at Depot Park in Kalispell on Saturday, June 6. Floyd, a black man, died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes while handcuffed on May 25. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Protesters hold signs along North Main Street at Depot Park during a protest denouncing police violence against people of color in Kalispell on Saturday, June 6. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
A man gets out of a pickup truck to yell at protesters gathered along North Main Street at Depot Park during a protest denouncing police violence against people of color in Kalispell on Saturday, June 6. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Protesters hold signs depicting George Floyd and Breonna Taylor during a protest denouncing police violence against people of color at Depot Park in Kalispell on Saturday, June 6. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Protesters converse with people gathered to protect the Veterans Monument at Depot Park in Kalispell during a protest denouncing police violence against people of color on Saturday, June 6. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Protesters hold signs along both sides of North Main Street at Depot Park during a protest denouncing police violence against people of color in Kalispell on Saturday, June 6. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
A man holds up his middle finger as he drives past a group of protesters at Depot Park during a protest denouncing police violence against people of color in Kalispell on Saturday, June 6. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
A protester wears a protective suit and holds a sign during a protest at Depot Park denouncing police violence against people of color in Kalispell on Saturday, June 6. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Protesters hold signs along North Main Street at Depot Park during a protest denouncing police violence against people of color in Kalispell on Saturday, June 6. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Protesters hold signs at Depot Park during a protest denouncing police violence against people of color in Kalispell on Saturday, June 6. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Protesters hold signs along North Main Street at Depot Park during a protest denouncing police violence against people of color in Kalispell on Saturday, June 6. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
One Flathead Valley resident said he attended Saturday’s Black Lives Matter protest at Depot Park in Kalispell because he wanted to use his voice to speak for those who can’t, and because “keeping your mouth shut on the sidelines isn’t enough.”
Melynnda Button of Kila, a mother and grandmother, said with a break in her voice that her reason for attending the protest was “because he cried out for his mother.”
Jessica Szala, a Somers resident and mother to two bi-racial children, said she wants to make sure her kids “don’t have to deal with this as they grow up.”
Matt Durrant, 28, said he attended the protest because he wants to see “widespread police and criminal justice reform.”
And Philly Steve, a father to three daughters and grandfather to six grandchildren, said he attended because he couldn’t imagine “being ripped away from his daughters like he was from his.”
“It was a profound tragedy. And if that video didn’t rip your heart out and prompt some action, you’re not human,” said the 66-year-old who lives in Martin City.
On Saturday, Kalispell joined a growing list of cities and towns across Montana where protests in support of the Black Lives Matter movement have already taken place or are currently ongoing. The movement — now being widely described as a “revolution” — has been fueled by the asphyxiation of George Floyd, a black man from Minneapolis who was recently killed after a white police officer with the Minneapolis Police Department knelt on his neck for nearly 9 minutes. Floyd was unarmed, and in a viral video that captured his final moments, he repeated “I can’t breathe.”
From metropolitan cities to rural corners of the country, protesters have called for justice for Floyd, for police reform, an end to police brutality — and in the words of many who attended Saturday’s demonstration in Kalispell, an end to racism and inequality.
More than 1,000 people filled the Depot Park area in downtown Kalispell, according to police estimates. Although 5 p.m. was the official start time of the protest, which was organized by several local high school students, some people began trickling in as early as noon.
The protest, while tense at times, was peaceful with the exception of a few verbal exchanges. Many drove by and honked in support and some yelled at the protesters. Others flipped them off. Several large trucks drove by “rolling coal,” or emitting large amounts of black exhaust fumes onto protesters.
By 6 p.m., the majority of those at Saturday’s event were there in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. However, a large portion of those who gathered at Depot Park had different motivations and reasons for doing so.
Hundreds of armed individuals were also present throughout the duration of the protest, and remained close to the Flathead County Veterans Memorial. Many said they attended Saturday’s event to protect the memorial, referring to the widespread vandalism and looting that has occurred elsewhere in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Flathead Valley resident Cody Johnson said one of the bricks that surrounds the memorial statue is dedicated to his cousin, a former Marine. Johnson said, “We’ve all seen the things that have been going on in other cities with the destruction and we don’t want to see this memorial defaced.”
Aside from protecting the memorial, many said they attended to show their support for the community, to protect local businesses from being vandalized, to offer aid to police officers and law enforcement, to support the U.S. military and to “keep the peace.”
“We really just want to make sure that everything stays peaceful. We support people saying what they want to say, but we want people to say it without violence,” said Skyler Ross from Trego, who attended the event with Kevin and Brian Kahle. “We love this town and just don’t want to see anything happen to it or the local businesses here.”
Aside from the armed group, there was also a group of counter protesters who mingled among the Black Lives Matter supporters. Many wore clothing and held signs in support of President Trump. When asked their reasons for showing up to the event, many said they are not in support of some of the things the Black Lives Matter movement “stands for,” namely the push to defund police departments. Several critics of the movement said they felt people were more so following a trend and that “they should be protesting on a daily basis if they really believe in this.”
The Daily Inter Lake spoke with at least two dozen individuals who attended the protest for reasons other than the Black Lives Matter movement. Almost every individual said they were in full support of the protesters’ rights to peacefully gather and exercise their rights to free speech, and many said it is “obvious” to them that Floyd was murdered.
CJ Cummings, a local Flathead Valley teacher, said he had met with both the organizers of the protest — some of his students — and a group of the armed individuals prior to Saturday’s event. He described his conversations as being “really productive.”
“Part of me went into those meetings thinking we all wouldn’t have much in common, but I left realizing that was wrong. We all agree the George Floyd murder was just that: murder,” Cummings said. “We really talked about what we wanted the narrative to be here today and ultimately we hope the right and left can find ways to come together around this issue.”
The officer who knelt on Floyd’s neck, Derek Chauvin, faces a second-degree murder charge. Three other officers who were at the scene, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and Alexander Kueng, face aiding and abetting charges. All four were promptly fired from the Minneapolis Police Department following the killing on May 25.
Reporter Kianna Gardner can be reached at 758-4407 or kgardner@dailyinterlake.com
