Around 100 protesters gathered at the Fort Worth Water Gardens for a march through the Near Southside last evening. Leading the march was Donnell Ballard, founder of United My Justice. Before the grassroots group headed south toward West Lancaster Avenue, Ballard reminded those present that the march would be free of foul language or any actions that could be construed as violent.
Heading south on Hemphill Street, marchers sang, “Everywhere we go, people want to know who we are. So we tell them. We are the people. The mighty, mighty people.”
Chris Nettles, a United My Justice leader and 2017 Fort Worth mayoral candidate, addressed the crowd as they reached Rosedale Street.
“We are disrupting the flow of a normal day,” he said. “People are being re-routed. They are wondering, ‘What is going on?’ They will find out online. We are peacefully disrupting the normal flow of the day.”
The crowd turned west on West Magnolia Avenue. Small groups of diners cheered the protesters as they passed The Chat Room Pub and other Near Southside bars and restaurants. The marchers then turned north on 8th Avenue before heading east on Rosedale Street toward South Main Street.
“Y’all are doing so good,” Ballard told the group during a rest. “When they start figuring out the other group is not doing what they are supposed to be doing, [the protesters will know that] we are the right group.”
Ballard was referring to daily marches by groups Enough Is Enough and Black Lives Matter through the West 7th corridor. Those marches included a Monday rally though the Target Superstore, a known supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement.
“Target stands with black families, communities, and team members,” Target CEO Brian Cornell recently said in a public statement.
That evening included rallies inside The Social House and Concrete Cowboy Bar. Yesterday, those two restaurants opted to lock their doors rather than invite the protesters back in, an event organizer not affiliated with United My Justice told me when I arrived at Hopdoddy Burger Bar late last evening. Inside, a few dozen protesters were chanting, “Whose street? Our street!”
One Enough Is Enough leader said he believes his group has inspired a new crop of young activists. The very active Facebook page FW4GeorgeFloyd, he said, is used to organize daily marches for Enough Is Enough, Black Lives Matter, and Black Love FW.
United My Justice supporters are meeting at the Fort Worth Water Gardens today at 6 p.m. while groups associated with FW4GeorgeFloyd have announced a 6 p.m. rally at the Tarrant County Courthouse.
“Look at me! Pay attention to me!”
Pathological.
Why does United my justice keep hating on the younger group? They don’t even mention him. I’m meeting with the younger group. They fearless