Black Brunch Protests Held In NYC And Oakland To Protest Police Violence
“Black Brunch” demonstrations held to “target white spaces” took place in California and New York at restaurants on Sunday to protest alleged police violence. The organizers behind the event declared, “Every 28 hours a black person is killed in America by police.”
The Black Brunch protesters asked restaurant patrons to raise their fists in the air in support of “black lives.” While “a good number” of diners reportedly complied with the request, some mocked the dozens of Black Brunch demonstrations and called the event “stupid” and “pathetic.”
The names of black Americans reportedly killed by police officers were read aloud by the Black Brunch protesters during the demonstrations. Some restaurant operators and patrons felt the chants and readings “disrupted” business and customers attempting to enjoy their meals.
During the protests, one demonstrator shouted, “Every 28 hours a black person in America is killed by the police. These are our brothers and sisters. Today and every day, we honor their lives.”
A Black Brunch promotional tweet posted by Sharmin Ultra said, “We interrupt your brunch time to let you know there is a war on black lives. We will not stay silent #BlackBrunchNYC.” Camilia Ibanez, a protester in New York City, claims that staff at Resto, a Belgian restaurant, attempted to “silence” demonstrators by turning up the music volume inside the establishment.
Taking over Peets Coffee #ferguson2call #blackbrunch # blacklivesmatter pic.twitter.com/h0NBjFy8Me
— BlackWomenUnchecked (@BlkWmnUNchecked) January 3, 2015
Lee Romney posted this about the demonstrations in California, “#BlackBrunch protesters entering Oak restaurants 2 read names of dead. Manager of Forge: ‘I think it’s beautiful.'”
#BlackBrunch happening now at #Oakland Jack London Square in solidarity w/ NYC action. pic.twitter.com/u6Zibo5hxk
— Lee Romney (@leeromney) January 4, 2015
Throughout the day on Sunday, about three dozen demonstrators went into restaurants they felt catered to a predominantly white clientele to chant, carry signs, and read names of deceased black Americans, and then posted images and videos from the event online. The #BlackBrunch hashtag quickly went viral.
RETWEET How to STOP #blackbrunch #blackbrunchnyc “protests.” pic.twitter.com/GhuJbGNrt4
— Army Vet (@oldusarmyvet) January 4, 2015
The Black Brunch protests reportedly remained largely peaceful and no arrests were made. But some demonstrators reportedly got into “heated discussions” with diners and restaurant staff.
#BlackBrunch Protesters Shouting at Whites While They Eat http://t.co/WnvTluBXmv #tcot pic.twitter.com/Az4QRVgz1P
— slone (@slone) January 4, 2015
#BlackBrunchNYC protesters stage demonstrations inside businesses http://t.co/CiGOSkxCu8 pic.twitter.com/hkULLV4EeA
— The Root (@TheRoot) January 5, 2015
What do you think about the Black Brunch protests?
[Image via: Twitter]
