MANCHESTER, NH – As Saturday’s peaceful Black Lives Matter rally-goers dispersed, Ronelle Tshiela’s phone started blowing up.
“I was tired and had just gotten off the phone with my mom when I started getting calls that there was something going on at the police station,” so instead of lunch with her boyfriend, Tshiela headed over to Valley Street to see what was happening.
As a lead organizer for Saturday’s rally, Tshiela had done the legwork, including working closely with Manchester Police and even the governor. The goal was a peaceful event, which meant everyone needed to be on the same page.
But as someone who grew up in Manchester, Tshiela also has had a front-row seat to the long-simmering sense of frustration among young people of color. She wanted to be there to make sure things didn’t take a wrong turn after such a positive rally.
“I understand the frustration, and I’m not trying to say their feelings or emotions or anger aren’t justified. But what happened [at Manchester Police headquarters] shows that there’s a clear disconnect between Manchester Police and the citizens. We need to take that situation and try to bridge the gap,” Tshiela says.
As Tshiela arrived a crowd of about 100 protesters were gathered outside the entrance of police headquarters, at times chanting, “Walk with us,” “No justice, no peace,” and “I can’t breathe,” holding signs leftover from the march. Chief Carlo Capano stood in front of the group, flanked by several officers, trying to field questions. But bursts of anger, profanity and chaotic shouting made that impossible.
At one point the group knelt down and asked the police to join them in solidarity.
As tensions among the group flared, Tshiela moved to the front of the group to speak, addressing some of the confusion around how the rally was organized – it all happened in a matter of days and making sure the event remained positive and safe, while giving people the opportunity to express their frustration through demonstration and be heard, was the main goal.
“It is not their fault we were only able to do one lap. Before this happened we coordinated with the police department and told them what route we were going to take. This is why we had the roads blocked off. So when we were marching, they were under the impression we were done and traffic started moving along Elm Street. Do you guys understand that? It wasn’t their fault, it was on our end. We anticipated marching slower and taking more time,” she said, addressing some of the frustration over how the rally was conducted.
Tshiela also told the group that before the march she was on the phone with Gov. Chris Sununu who agreed to sit with her and other organizers to talk about how to change things in New Hampshire… “does that sound good to you guys?” she asked.
The crowd answered mostly in the affirmative.
“The police chief let us know every single person who wears that badge is behind us, they understand us,” to which dissension began to erupt again from the group. Tshiela continued, asking them to listen to her.
She made the case for sitting with those who are in a position to help bring change, including the police department.
When he had a chance to speak, Capano responded to questions about police brutality as it played out from the streets of Minneapolis, and the visual heard around the world of a white officer kneeling on the neck of a black man in handcuffs, struggling and helpless, until his body went limp.
“It disgusts me and every other person standing behind me… it never should have happened,” Capano said.
Attempts made Saturday and Sunday by the Ink Link to reach Chief Capano for further comment for this story were unsuccessful.
Late Saturday Tshiela reflected on the situation at police headquarters and the raw emotion that spilled over from people she has known as peers. Tshiela, a 2017 graduate of Manchester Memorial High School, is a rising senior at the University of New Hampshire where she is a political science major. Her plan is to attend law school.
She was one of the organizers of Manchester’s first Black Lives Matters march back in July of 2016, and explained that while there is no official BLM Manchester chapter, many of those who were there four years ago are still here, still hoping for change.
“There are not a lot of people of color in New Hampshire. We only make up 1 percent of the population, and the only diverse parts of the state are Manchester, Nashua, Concord — and even then, there are not a lot of people of color, so people think we don’t have a problem,” Tshiela says. “But a lot of my friends, neighbors, colleagues, we all have stories we could share. Racism and discrimination, it does happen. That’s why days like today are important. Things haven’t escalated to the point they have in Minneapolis, but you could say race relations aren’t perfect here. There’s nothing stopping us from becoming the next hashtag.”
So then, what is the way forward?
Tshiela says it’s important to begin with the city’s youngest and future leaders.
“I think a lot of things start at home and at school, conversations with our kids need to change. We need to be open to different perspectives, that’s the first thing. A lot of people in Manchester are interested in organizing and having forums. Well, it’s important that people don’t just say they’re interested, but that it happens. That’s what makes it difficult for us,” she said.
Manchester Police hosted a forum in 2015, “What’s Race Got to Do With It?” months after the riots in Ferguson, Missouri, following the death of Michael Brown which brought into focus the need for dialogue over police brutality, excessive force and the militarization of police across the country, and how to prevent that kind of overreach and racially-charged confrontations in communities like Manchester.
That was two police administrations ago.
Tshiela would like to see the conversation pick up where it left off, something that’s long overdue.
“When we started this we were teenagers, so it’s difficult for us to do something so big without the help of people in this community. We need people who care enough to show up for us. We’ve gotten help and support of groups like the NAACP, Manchester Police, the YWCA and the ACLU. That’s helpful, and they can help us build this movement, but we need everyone, and we need to build on this movement,” Tshiela says.
For those who want to connect she said joining the Black Lives Matter Facebook page would be a good place to start. For those not on Facebook, connect with the local NAACP chapter. Their next meeting is virtual, and set for June 25 at 6:30 p.m.
The inevitable critics of Black Lives Matter Tshiela has seen commenting on social media characterize the group as inauthentic, saying organizers are outside influencers with a political agenda. Tshiela says that kind of criticism is hurtful, and further illuminates the lack of understanding about what the reality for people of color in Manchester has been, and continues to be.
“That hurts to see. We worked tirelessly to make sure things went smoothly for the rally. It’s not something that just happens, so for people to say stuff like that, I feel they aren’t paying attention to what’s happening right here. If you do pay attention, you know your neighbors are hurting. We are people, just like you, who want our voices heard,” Tshiela says. “For anyone to say the rally was staged by outsiders, literally, these are people who grew up here, I know them from school and from our connections as people of color in this community.”
