Paul Bass Photo
Ala Ochumare of Black Lives Matter leading Sunday’s march.
Instead of watching videos of police killing African-Americans, Ala Ochumare, Robyn Porter, and Addys Castillo would prefer to take action to stop more killings.
Ochumare, leader of New Haven’s Black Lives Matter group; State Rep. Porter; and Castillo, who runs the Citywide Youth Coalition, offered that take Monday during a joint appearance on WNHH FM’s “Dateline New Haven.”
They appeared one day after they participated in a peaceful march of 1,000 protesters who occupied a portion of I‑95 to demand police accountability.
On the program, Ochumare, who led the march, described how she and fellow organizers kept the protest focused and nonviolent.
Ochumare said she didn’t watch the video of a white Minneapolis police officer killing unarmed African-American George Floyd by pressing his knee into his neck for over eight minutes, an action captured by a bystander’s viral video.
She has stopped viewing what she called “trauma porn,” Ochumare said. “Black people, we know what it looks like” when cops kill African-Americans.
State Rep. Robyn Porter at Sunday’s protest march.
“I encourage black and brown folks to be very mindful of what we ingest visually,” she said.
“I don’t need to see a police murder to know it’s wrong. I don’t care if he had 20 forged $20 bills. We’ve been getting lynched for hundreds of years. White people are just catching up” with that fact.
“I’ve seen enough of these videos in my lifetime,” agreed Porter. “Seeing more of that video may send me over the edge.” She called these incidents “every black mother’s nightmare” — that her children won’t make it home alive.
Castillo said she made it through a bit of the Floyd video before shutting it off. “I watched all I could take. I have three sons at home. I don’t want to watch people of color getting killed. We’re constantly being vicariously traumatized.”
On the program, all three spoke of the work they’re doing to bring about change in policing, and the “living revolution” and “liberation” they experienced during Sunday’s I‑95 occupation. Porter vowed to introduce legislation in an upcoming special session to increase criminal penalties for police misconduct. Castillo and Ochumare previewed upcoming street actions. Click on the video to watch the full episode.
"Trauma porn" is a good description of what we are bombarded with 24/7. Violence porn; too.
If this is what it takes to spur people to act then why does the violence that ensues stop as soon as the cameras stop? And why does the spur for change end when nothing is on fire and the cameras stop? How does stealing from stores combat police brutality? Why weren't they just burned in protest? Why did people have to take things?
The media is responsible for stoking these flames of anger and hatred. Nothing good will come of violence. I don't know what it will take to rein in violent police, our violent people, our violent imperialism, our violent corporate war machines, and our violent culture. I do believe that violence will not bring about the change that people want to see. I don't know what will,though. I respect protest; I don't respect violence as the way to peace.