Cookeville’s Black Lives Matter Protest

“I CAN’T BREATHE.”

“NO JUSTICE NO PEACE.”

These chants rang through Cookeville’s square Saturday as over 200 Black Lives Matter protesters gathered.

Co organizer Daniel Willis said she and over 10 other organizers refrained from using social media to spread the rally’s awareness due to violent threats.

“A lot of people feel safer when they don’t say anything,” Willis said. “A lot of people have actually had to forgo coming today because of threats against them, and I don’t hold that against them ast all. I do think it is our job as white people to be the voice when black people have been threatened against it. Everyone that has been involved in the organizing efforts, we have been very vocal about how important it is that nobody be scared to speak their voice. We’re all here as Americans using our First Amendment rights to peaceful assembly, and that’s what we’ve been stressing so hard.”

Protesters held signs: “Black Lives Matter”, “I can’t breathe”, “The color of your skin should not be a death threat”, and “White Silence=Violence.”

During the rally, speakers read names of the people who died. Organizers offered the microphone to any person of color to speak their mind. Participant Wolfgang Bronner said there’s been too many deaths from police brutality.

“Over 1,661 black men have been killed by the cops between 20 years between 2014 and 2020,” Bronner said. “73 black women have been shot and killed by the cops…I’m talking about all the ancestors who came right before us who had to die because of this system, and I’m angry. I’m sick of it!”

Organizers periodically spoke and reminded the crowd to maintain a peaceful protest. Willis said all protesters should be respectful, compassionate, and peaceful.

Sheriff Farris said the department is monitoring the crowd and hopes there will not be violence. He said if any unlawful criminal activity does take place, law enforcement are on post and ready.

In the crowd, a group of veterans sat at the courthouse monument to protect it.