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ALBANY — In this era of political correctness, the choice of words one uses can be pivotal. This is certainly true in regard to the actions of the diverse group of citizens and local law enforcement agencies that gathered Wednesday in Albany for a second time in response to the murder of George Floyd while in police custody.

Across the nation, many protests in response to Floyd’s death have turned violent, leaving a trail of human injury and property damage in their wake. In some of these locations, the violence and property destruction continue even as criminal charges are being made against the Minneapolis police officers responsible for his death.

The evolution of these peaceful protests into actions more representative of riots has been widespread. Therefore, Saturday’s and Wednesday’s peaceful gatherings in Albany stand in contrast to many of the protests being held elsewhere.

Credit for the so-far peaceful actions in Albany came about when a number of Albanians instinctively united to bring focus and discipline to the protests, the first of which was held Saturday on Slappey Drive. These individuals also wanted to ensure that the focus in Albany would continue in a disciplined manner.

Brenda Battle became involved when someone called to tell her about Saturday’s event.

“So I thought I needed to be here to help redirect our youths to be sure they knew how to protest,” Battle said, “to showcase Albany and let them know we don’t have to be violent. We don’t have to riot. We don’t have to do any of that to be heard. I pretty much came as a mother to guide the youth.”

“People say ‘It didn’t happen here in Albany;’ well, if it happened there (Minneapolis), it can happen anywhere in the United States,” Joy Spencer said, explaining how she became involved Saturday and returned Wednesday. “We want to show the young people and we want to show Albany that we can do this peacefully and we can speak to the police department. We can work with the police department and have unity, not discord, violence and rioting. That’s my goal with this.”

“I’m former law enforcement, and I was sick to my stomach when I watched that video,” protester Tiffany Braswell said. “Knowing that what was going on was dead wrong. No one was in charge Saturday, so the four of us took charge to make sure the youth understood what was going on.”

It has been said that some people seek leadership and others have leadership thrust upon them. In Albany, the mantle of leadership ultimately fell on Anthony Branch, the fourth member of this impromptu team of mentors.

“On Saturday, I had leadership thrust upon me,” Branch said Wednesday. “This is something I want to continue doing because we need a dialogue between our citizens and law enforcement.”

Branch pointed to the law enforcement officers gathered on the scene Wednesday to ensure public safety, saying, “Those gentlemen chose law enforcement as a career … under those uniforms they are human. To tackle racism, it will take a change of heart. A man can put on a uniform. But what’s in his heart? That gentleman that was kneeling on George Floyd’s neck was wearing a law enforcement officer’s uniform. But the uniform did not strangle George Floyd. It was the hate within his heart that caused him to remain on his neck for almost 9 minutes.”

Branch commended the actions of the APD in their interaction with the protesters.

“They offered us water, and the chief (Michael Persley) actually answered questions directed toward him,” Branch said, adding that the officers’ action was one of the reasons the Albany protests remained peaceful.

In response to a question about the actions of police officers in Minnesota, Persley said, “It goes to the behavior of the officer.”

Persley highlighted the different training programs that law enforcement officers receive.

“You can do procedural justice,” he said. “You do bias training, cultural awareness, cultural diversity. We highlight the use of force, vehicle pursuit. We even do training on citizens’ concerns when they file a complaint. So there is a lot we do. But it all comes back to how people interact with each other.

“They are not out here protesting because of one instance that occurred somewhere else. It is an effort to start the conversation here in our community with the challenges we have.”

Wednesday’s protest was peaceful with about 20 or more people waving signs and chanting, “One of us. All of us,” as passing cars blew their horns and flashed their headlights. Event organizers also had a questionnaire asking, “What would you like to see as the outcome of our rally today? What concerns do you have about the community, and how can we come to a resolution?

“Protest” is the most common term being used to define these actions across the nation. However, considering the peaceful interaction and similar opinions expressed by the “protesters” and law enforcement in Albany, with a shared goal of constructive conversations, the term “rally” might be more appropriate.

Regardless of terminology, it appears the foundation is being laid for relevant conversations to be held in Albany. In the words of another chant heard Wednesday, “Welcome to the New South.”

Staff Photo: Tom Seegmueller
Staff Photo: Tom Seegmueller