Letter to the Editor: Discrimination and racism are still very real

To the Editor:

I would like to open my letter with gratitude in thanking those such as Michelle Matthews, Paul Saban, and Maggie Kinnamon, along with those in the community of Mahomet who have been very supportive throughout this time.

My experience in Mahomet had been a peaceful one prior to July 8^th, 2020.  On June 8^th 2020, I was invited by Persisterhood Mahomet to share a solidarity message, during a time in which we have exclaimed that #BlackLivesMatter. During my speech, I spoke of adolescent memories of being a member of the Don Moyer’s Boys and Girls Club and engaging with the Mahomet Area Boys & Girls Club, and how those moments early on were impactful. 

Having the opportunity to interact with communities and people who are not of your reflection and resemblance was quite a culture shock for both groups of children. However, we used those monthly sessions for creating a space for intersectionality, without us even knowing what we were doing.

I write this letter with no confusion… is my issue with the community of Mahomet at large? No. 

What is my main issue of concern? The inability to perform his job duties, to protect, serve, and respect law abiding citizens by the Mahomet Chief of Police Mr. Metzler. 

By definition, a police officer’s duty is to serve, to maintain law and order in local areas by protecting all members of the public and their property, preventing crime, reducing the fear of crime, and improving the quality of life for all citizens. Police are typically responsible for maintaining public order, safety, enforcing the law, and preventing crime.

Unfortunately, none of those duties were performed, if measured by employment standards for showcasing civic engagement with the community or citizens, whether residents or visitors. Chief Metzler only displayed tactics of intimidating, provoking, and endangering livelihoods which created an unsafe environment for community residents and visitors, especially me as a mentor for the ladies of PAIGN TO PEACE.

I have simply been only a mentor/organizer for PAIGN TO PEACE since their first protest celebration on June 6th, 2020. I do not take credit for their achievements, efforts or accolades. 

After living in St. Louis, Missouri, before, during, and after the murder of Mike Brown in Ferguson, I returned back home to Champaign, Illinois, to continue my advocacy and pursue an education. I am currently enrolled at Parkland College and majoring in Early Childhood Education, in addition to having completed a year at the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana through their Odyssey Project. I also am an employee of the Urbana School District #116, a member of Equality Illinois (statewide), a member of GLAAD (nationally), and my personal awareness initiative is “Homo is the new Homeboy”, or #HITNHOMEBOY. My focus areas are education, advocacy and Hip-Hop Culture for young Black and Brown LGBTQ people.

It may be considered to be irrelevant by some, but as a Black LGBTQ person in America it is obvious that I have to credit myself, so that I won’t be discredited by others due to my skin color and not the content of my character. As an individual protester and mentor for PAIGN TO PEACE, it is always my duty to protect, uplift, and amplify their voices at all times, even when celebrations turn chaotic and tense, like they did in Mahomet.

The purpose of the protest celebration was a direct result of Mahomet’s current and recently graduated students who believed it would be viral worthy, to join in on a social media trend. “My Culture Is Not A Trend” was a message that spoke to the misuse of Black beauty (skin), hair, style, and more by white society. They collectively are seen in videos using racially charged words and painted in “Blackface”. Personally, I believe the trend or challenge could have been completed without the cultural misappropriation they engaged in.

Arriving at the event space and initial start location, I noticed the body language of Chief Metzler towards the group of ladies of PAIGN TO PEACE, which led another mentor and myself to then question the conversation. Based on his body language and voice tone level with the group prior to our interaction, I would consider it bullying. Mr. Metzler’s posture and disposition were in total and complete disarray. He was passive aggressive and defiant when he spoke to us, and he let us know he was the one in control. The Chief of Police then refused to comply with the hosts and crowd of protesters, and he began reiterating what he said earlier in a logistics meeting with PAIGN TO PEACE, that “this isn’t Champaign”.

It was at that moment that I decided to interject myself into the conversation. It was apparent the Chief of Police was not too interested in protecting a protest celebration and was not willing to communicate effectively. I was not sure if it was because of their age, gender, or race. I always believe in diffusing a situation by using communication, knowledge and understanding as my parents taught me, but Chief Metzler let us know that he was in control and we needed his “cooperation”.

While the townspeople spoke out against the wrongdoings of the police, I became uncertain about not only my personal safety, but also the safety of others because of the Chief’s constant refusal to answer our questions, to give us truthful answers, and because he endangered our lives by refusing to wear a mask.

During the beginning of our discussion, he mentioned a contract between himself and a Co-Leader, Naomi DuPree. When I asked him for a copy of the contract that he used to support that statement, he refused to provide me with the contract.  As a professional, especially in law enforcement, I believe you must have proof or evidence to prove one’s claims. Instead of constructively discussing the issue with me further, Chief Metzler simply violated the commitments of the contractual obligation and walked away from me.

While waiting for Metzler to provide a copy of the permit, I was able to obtain the contract myself via messaging. I approached the end of the Lincoln Trail parking lot, near the entrance.  I was accompanied by PAIGN TO PEACE, peaceful protesters, and community members, and we all witnessed Chief Metzler act with hostility and try to elicit a reaction from me.

As seen in the video footage provided from a Facebook LIVE Feed, you can witness from all the angles that I presented myself in a confident, calm, and collected manner. Having lived through these tense situations, I know to remain still and be careful with my body language, words, and even actions. I kept my arms to my sides or had my hands in my pockets, to prevent misconduct on my behalf.

I presented the contract to Chief Metzler and stated that his “no vehicle claims” were not included, nor agreed to, by the contract signee of PAIGN TO PEACE. Seeing that he was being exposed for falsifying data and documentation, the Chief became very disgruntled, often throwing his hands up in a defensive manner, while verbally interrupting me, and refusing our requests to wear a mask for our safety.  His greatest abuse of power was when he actually reached out and made physical contact with me on several occasions, all of which were unwanted.  Chief Metzler’s multiple physical contacts with me is documented in video and  picture format.

As he abused his power, continued to escalate, and made physical contact with my open chest twice, I continued to breath deep and tried to remain calm, all while in fear of not knowing what would happen if I verbally expressed to the Chief not to touch me. At that moment I believed as a Black male in Mahomet, standing my ground when I was feeling unsafe would, in turn, cause and create a “click bait” of arousal, which I was not willing to showcase for their benefit. Instead I stepped back or positioned myself using the required social distancing. However, this did not stop Chief Metzler from invading my space, on multiple occasions, which placed me at risk of COVID.  Chief Metzler wore no mask throughout our conversation, from the time the protest began, to the time of its completion, despite being asked and offered a free mask many times.

It must be mentioned that during our conversation, I stated the many reasons we needed to use the vehicles in the protest.  We needed vehicles to ensure our safety from on-coming persons who could endanger us.  We needed a vehicle to carry nourishment supplies, water, and equipment.  We needed a vehicle to carry our microphone and speakers, to project our voices.  We needed a vehicle to use as a safety transport, for persons feeling unable to complete the protest by foot. With each stated need above, I was met with a deflection and an excuse for why those things simply would not work. I even verbalized the fears we had to the Chief, including our fear of not being protected by the police and the need to have the mentor truck front of the police car at the end of the protest crowd, instead of behind him. It was obvious that as a white man, he did not understand the incredible safety concerns that a Black woman or woman of color felt, especially in a sundown town like Mahomet. 

His defiant demeanor became even more obvious, as he tried to purposely stop the protest in multiple ways:

1. He abused his power related to crowd control.
2. He invaded our privacy and personal space, while disregarding social distancing.
3. He did not comply with CDC regulations for wearing a mask (Mahomet Police Department included).
4. He was a physical threat throughout the protest, using provoking gestures and banter.
5. He constructed a “human blockade” by placing himself directly in front of the mentor truck, to antagonize the group and control the vehicle’s destination route.
6. He used his position of power and control to reduce the time frame of protest, despite us having a permit to continue until 3pm, and he completely condensed the route at the last minute.

By displaying the actions that he did, it was clear that Metzler believed he was the only one in control; he created a chaotic and tense environment. The “language” became explicit by outspoken, yet peaceful protestors. If you want to know what community looks like, it was not hard to observe as the townspeople of Mahomet stepped forth to ensure our safety, unlike Chief Metzler and his officers. 

When Metzler again evoked his power and stood in front of the mentor’s vehicle, once again, I became uneasy and uncomfortable. I was touched again by Chief Metzler, unwanted physical contact that was without warning multiple times. I do not know of any law enforcement training or de-escalation procedure that involves an officer being trained to make physical contact with a person, prior to communicating that intention, unless that person is committing a crime or disobeying an officer’s lawful command  Again, as you can see in multiple Facebook videos, photos, and live streams, the Chief disregarded, disrespected, and degraded me and the PAIGN TO PEACE organizers.  The Chief’s primary purpose was to assert and communicate his control over the protesters.

Towards the completion of the route I noticed that we were met with not only more Mahomet Police officers, but the Illinois State Police as well. I must admit that it was quite unprofessional, unhealthy, and inconsiderate for the Mahomet Police Department to be in the personal spaces of each other and the protesters, without masks. The Illinois State Police wore masks. I made mention in my closing remarks of how the officers of the Mahomet Police Department endangered each other, in addition to placing their community and families at great risk. Would that not go against the guidelines set forth by the government and CDC, along with their duties to protect and serve?!

Upon ending my speech, I want to reinforce that the goal is to ensure that Black women and Black girls are promoted, protected, and provided for, and to protect the access they have as it relates to equity, equality, and socioeconomics. 

I am also inquiring about the reason why the families, schools and community at large felt the need to not truthfully address the social media videos of the “Black face” posting and the use of “racial slurs” by the individuals from the Mahomet community. It is clear that even when saying “All Lives Matter” there is still a forgettable knowledge that Black Lives are included. And if “All Lives (truly) Matter” then why is it such an issue about exclaiming “Black Lives Matter” in a protest where the minority population is small, when compared with their white counterparts?!

Let us be real… I was not going to respond to the protest, until I read the Mahomet Daily article which I now quote from: 

‘Instead, Metzler talked to ‘Paign to Peace mentor Justin Hendrix. Spectators say that at one point during the conversation, Metzler put his hands-on Hendrix. Metzler said he does not remember doing this.’

When reading the Chief of Police’s statement, it was a great illustration of how he is no different than many officers who are unable to recall the dangers they impose on black and brown bodies. Furthermore it illustrates the heteronormative propaganda for white male privilege that we’ve seen before in our history such as The Crime Bill, Reganomics, Equal Rights Act, Civil Rights, Birth of a Nation, Reconstruction and the real looters of America’s land the so-called “founding fathers”, when tracing back this horrific history since slavery. 

I request there be accountability, implicit bias training, more civic engagement, use of effective communication, and de-escalation training for the Mahomet Police Department. Respectfully, I don’t understand why, with all of his years of experience as an officer and Chief of Police,  he became so defensive and behaved the way that he did toward us, regardless of our message or race.

I must reiterate that if I, as a Black LGBTQ male, would have presented myself in a manner that questioned my character and, even more importantly, would have physically touched an officer without permission, I could have potentially been harmed.  This could have resulted in the worst possible outcome, as it is so commonly seen in the media.

In closing I would like to remind the Police Department, School District, Community of Mahomet at large, business owners and especially Chief Metzler… discrimination and racism are still very real, and anyone who deflects or disregards this fact is complicit with the silencing and erasing of people of color through oppression, marginalization, and underserving the underprivileged.

Do better.

And to leave you with a quote from James Baldwin. 

“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced. People can cry much easier than they can make change. I imagine one of the reasons why people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once the hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain.”

-Justin Hendrix

*Photos and video submitted

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