Young protesters 'begging' to be heard by police in riot gear

Some heated conversations — held inches apart from police in riot gear — have led to remarkable moments of reconciliation. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

'Begging' to be heard: Young protesters implore police to acknowledge them and their cause By Michael E. Miller  The teenager was standing in sight of the White House, a few yards from soldiers in an armored vehicle and a few feet from a line of Secret Service officers in riot gear, when he spotted the president in the distance. "Where are you going?" Adam Lenssa shouted as President Trump walked through Lafayette Square, where the Secret Service, U.S. Park Police and National Guard had just used chemical gas, rubber bullets and batons to push back the peaceful protesters. "We're not violent. We just want to talk rational reform. Is that too much to ask for?" All around him, hundreds of protesters were demanding that federal law enforcement officers — and the president — acknowledge their outrage over the killing of George Floyd, a black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee into his neck. Their efforts to be heard have fueled six days of protests in the nation's capital and other cities around the country. On Monday night, the president didn't stop. Instead, the Secret Service suddenly lurched forward, shoving protesters with their shields and swinging their batons. Lenssa nearly fell as he stepped back onto bottles of water and boxes of baking soda, used to flush tear gas from protesters' faces. With the president now out of sight, Lenssa turned his attention to the officers, who had stopped their advance. "One fist," the African American 18-year-old shouted at a black Secret Service member, raising his hand and asking the officer to do the same. "Is that too much to ask for? Do you have no heart? One fist! Please, one fist!" The teen sank to the ground, tears streaming down his face. Read more → More from The Post Opinion | #BlackOutTuesday was a case study in how performative solidarity goes awry.  By Karen Attiah • Read more → 'This can't be happening': An oral history of 48 surreal, violent, biblical minutes in Washington By Dan Zak, Monica Hesse, Ben Terris, Maura Judkis and Travis M. Andrews • Read more → Opinion | Trump must be removed. So must his congressional enablers.  By George F. Will • Read more → We are deeply grateful to our subscribers who make our work possible. The journalistic resources necessary are immense and growing, and we could not do our work without subscriber support. Subscribe today Cancel anytime.

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