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TRISTAN TAYLOR, 37 DETROIT So day three is Sunday. Sunday, the city of Detroit announces that they’re going to impose a curfew. It is very clear that the curfew is related to just the protesters. And they said that, in a way, but they were also saying that it was a citywide curfew. You had to show what your business was in order to be out—because of the marches Friday and Saturday, continuing into the night, and the resistance that people were giving to the police trying to arrest and beat marchers out of the streets. Because that Friday and Saturday night, the Detroit Police Department had a vicious policy toward the demonstrations at night. Monday, when people came out, the person who ended up leading the march that day sent people home. And that’s because when people were marching back to the downtown police precinct where the marches have been gathering, they were met with police in riot gear and tanks. And so they were convinced to go home, but people were really angry. They actually didn’t want to go home, but they didn’t know what else to do, because they just knew the curfew was wrong. So they said, we got to oppose the curfew. And we get arrested for opposing the curfew. People are really outraged to see the force that was used to arrest us— because all we were doing was marching. And because of that, more people showed up the next day. And we had like two hundred people march to oppose the curfew. And that number doubled the day after. And so the city refused to enforce the curfew, and that was a big moment for people. People were on cloud nine and they were like, “Okay, this movement, we can actually achieve something.” TIMOTHY FINDLEY, 41 LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY There was one particular night in the very early days when the mayor, from what I understand, sent the National Guard down to the West End, which is a predominantly Black neighborhood, and that’s when the killing of David McAtee happened. I remember getting the call and going down to 26th and Broadway. A large crowd had already started to gather. His body had stayed 41

on the street, I want to say, a total of eight-plus hours. And it was just a very difficult situation—the community was extremely upset. That’s when the police really started to take an aggressive tone and approach with the neighborhood. It was such a long day; I just was very frustrated. And on the expressway driving home I said to myself, “You know what? We need to start protesting. There are things we need to do.” So I decided that I was going to go out to Shelbyville Road—which is in one of Louisville’s most heavily trafficked areas, a white area—and I would do a protest. About twenty people showed up. We’re walking down Shelbyville Road—it’s a major street, three lanes on both sides. So we knew that we were quote-unquote breaking the law, but we really believed in what we were doing. We understand that protest is civil disobedience. I remember seeing the police behind us in the distance. And because there was so much traffic, they were having a hard time getting to us. But the police finally got through, and they sped in front of me. They jump out—some are in fatigues. Others are in their police officers’ uniforms—and I remember there was a gentleman who screamed, “Get out of the road!” I took maybe two steps. And I remember he said to the other guy, “Get him”—something like that. Then, not even a few seconds afterwards, when the guy grabbed me—and it’s clearly on tape—he immediately starts screaming, “Stop resisting!” As a matter of fact, I had my hands up in a position that, you know, I am not a threat. But he grabbed me and said “Stop resisting.” I’m a bigger guy—so I’m 6'4", about 250. And I remember him trying to yank my arm down and trying to throw me on the ground. I’m not fighting against them but it’s pavement, so I’m not going to allow myself in that situation to be thrown down in that way. But before I can start going down on my own, they start trying to leg-sweep me, kicking my ankles. So I remember saying to the guy, “Hey, you don’t have to do that. I’m gonna go down.” I go down on my own, get on my knees. The moment I get to my knees, they push me down, face-first to the ground, really hard, and they put my arms around my back. One guy puts his knee on my legs, the other guy puts his knee in the top of my back. And from what it looks like on the video he took out—of course, I couldn’t see it—some sort of high-powered weapon, it might have been one of those Tasers—and he had it pressed to the back of my neck. 42

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TRISTAN TAYLOR, 37

DETROIT

So day three is Sunday. Sunday, the city of Detroit announces that they’re going to impose a curfew. It is very clear that the curfew is related to just the protesters. And they said that, in a way, but they were also saying that it was a citywide curfew. You had to show what your business was in order to be out—because of the marches Friday and Saturday, continuing into the night, and the resistance that people were giving to the police trying to arrest and beat marchers out of the streets. Because that Friday and Saturday night, the Detroit Police Department had a vicious policy toward the demonstrations at night.

Monday, when people came out, the person who ended up leading the march that day sent people home. And that’s because when people were marching back to the downtown police precinct where the marches have been gathering, they were met with police in riot gear and tanks. And so they were convinced to go home, but people were really angry. They actually didn’t want to go home, but they didn’t know what else to do, because they just knew the curfew was wrong. So they said, we got to oppose the curfew. And we get arrested for opposing the curfew.

People are really outraged to see the force that was used to arrest us— because all we were doing was marching. And because of that, more people showed up the next day. And we had like two hundred people march to oppose the curfew. And that number doubled the day after. And so the city refused to enforce the curfew, and that was a big moment for people. People were on cloud nine and they were like, “Okay, this movement, we can actually achieve something.”

TIMOTHY FINDLEY, 41

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY

There was one particular night in the very early days when the mayor, from what I understand, sent the National Guard down to the West End, which is a predominantly Black neighborhood, and that’s when the killing of David McAtee happened. I remember getting the call and going down to 26th and Broadway. A large crowd had already started to gather. His body had stayed

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