Black Lives Matter protestors march peacefully along Oak Park Avenue in Tinley Park
Also: Tinley Park resident shares his experience participating in protest
Approximately 100 protestors march along Oak Park Avenue in Tinley Park Tuesday, June 2, in an event organized by Black Lives Matter. JEAN LACHAT/RICHARD FREE PRESS
By Jon DePaolis
TINLEY PARK, Ill. – Approximately 100 protestors marched down Oak Park Avenue Tuesday, June 2, peacefully coexisting with Tinley Park police and a small group of counter-protestors.
The Black Lives Matter protest, which began around 4 p.m. in downtown Tinley Park, lasted roughly three hours and went without incident.
Kimberly Dorencz Cuervo, a Tinley Park resident, said she arrived at the protest around 4:15 p.m.
“I went to support the protesters, [and] to show my kids that black lives do matter and that protests are important part of democracy,” she said.
Cuervo said she felt it was important to show solidarity with the protestors.
“George Floyd's murder was horrendous,” she said. “Police officers are good people. Every profession has their bad apples, and these officers – all four – are a disgrace to the profession. Those who are not willing serve and protect must be dealt with. Justice needs to be served.”
Area residents march peacefully while holding up signs denouncing racial injustice Tuesday, June 2, during a Black Lives Matter protest in downtown Tinley Park. JEAN LACHAT/RICHARD FREE PRESS
Cuervo said she felt the protest was handled well by all involved.
Laura Lane, also a Tinley Park resident, agreed – stating the police and protestors were respectful to one another.
The protesters – which Lane said were largely made up of teenagers, college-aged students and adults in their 20s and 30s – also were able to remain calm despite an occasional heckle from a group of counter-protestors lining the sidewalks. She said protestors even offered water to police and vice versa on the 90-plus degree day.
“The organizers did a great job,” Lane said. “They all made some really good points. There were some kids who came up and told their experiences. Black people in the community [said] how their lives have been affected. I thought it was powerful.”
While the protest remained peaceful, as a precaution the Village of Tinley Park canceled its Village Board of Trustees meeting scheduled for later in the evening. A curfew also was put in place for June 2.
A group of peaceful protestors march along Oak Park Avenue in downtown Tinley Park Tuesday, June 2, in an event organized by Black Lives Matter. JEAN LACHAT/RICHARD FREE PRESS
Sights and sounds: Tinley Park resident shares experience participating in peaceful Oak Park Avenue protest
By Steve Millar
While the Tinley Park government braced for possible violence – asking some local businesses to close early and instituting an 8 p.m. curfew for the third consecutive day – a protest held downtown Tuesday, June 2, was peaceful.
After marching up and down a two-block stretch near the Metra station on Oak Park Avenue for about 30 minutes, more than 100 protestors gathered in Zabrocki Plaza for the remainder of the demonstration, which lasted just over two hours.
At times, the divide along Oak Park was reflective of the divide in the country. As protesters on the east side of the street held up signs with messages such as “Black Lives Matter” and “Justice for George Floyd,” another group of more than two dozen people formed on the west side, many of whom spoke out against the protest.
Some people on the other side seemed intent on agitating the protesters. Several mocked protesters’ chants or attempted to drown them out with chants of their own, countering “Black Lives Matter” refrains with “All Lives Matter” – or in some cases drowning out “George Floyd” chants with “Donald Trump” chants.
A few went beyond this, yelling obscenities and sexually explicit comments. At least one threatened to fight protesters.
But on the other side, protest leaders continually implored the protesters to ignore the jeers. For the most part, they listened.
It was upsetting that a small group of adults felt the need to come out and yell at a group of mostly young protesters, including children.
On the other hand, it was refreshing to see the protest group remain civil while getting its message across. The protesters were made up of people from different ethnic backgrounds – though about 75 percent of them were white. However, they all came together to speak out against injustice.
They exercised their First Amendment rights, and that is as American as it gets.
And while things between these two groups could have easily escalated, they never did. Neither side went beyond words.
Tinley Park police lined the streets and did a tremendous job making sure things remained peaceful. The officers stayed calm throughout, and there was never any conflict between them and the protesters. Some even handed out water bottles to the crowd as temperatures exceeded 90 degrees on a day of record-breaking heat.
While recent protests have been marred by looting and violence in towns throughout Chicagoland and across the country, protest leaders in Tinley Park denounced such behavior and told the crowd that violence distracts from the message they were trying to send.
“Protest peacefully or go home,” one speaker said.
Alaysia Brandy, one of the event’s organizers, closed by thanking protesters for "remaining peaceful despite the ignorance being spewed at you.”
They were powerful final words. As a longtime resident of Tinley Park, I was proud of what happened Tuesday on Oak Park Avenue.
At least on the east side of the street.