Worker, Mother, Activist: Manchester resident fights for equality, justice, freedom

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“Casualties of the cause. Just like casualties of war. It is okay for us to go to another country and burn their shit down.  Why do we do that? Because it has no effect? No, it does. No justice, no peace.” – Latoya Fletcher (Activist)


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MANCHESTER, NH – 2020 is definitely a year that will go down in the books as unforgettable starting with a global pandemic, economic uncertainty stemming from that because millions of people were forced out of work along with many small businesses having to shut their doors forever, and now a global movement that has risen; shining a light on police brutality that can no longer be denied or hidden under the guise of protection and the year isn’t over … yet.  

From all of this comes a young intelligent woman who you can describe as a worker, mother, and now activist that has made a positive stir in her community to change the status quo and make life better for herself, her family, and for all others who feel silenced and want change.  Her name is Latoya Fletcher.  She was able to discuss with me one afternoon how this all started for her and gave me an insight into her life growing up as a black woman and what this movement means to her.

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Latoya Fletcher – worker, mother, activist. Courtesy Photo

George Floyd was arrested on May 25, 2020, over an alleged counterfeit bill he used in a convenience store.  The video that went viral showed how Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin used brute force by placing a knee on Floyd’s neck while he was already laying in a non-threatening prone position.  This caused George Floyd to have difficulty breathing and as he lay there pleading that he can’t breathe, nothing was done to stop it and he lost his life.  This outraged many across the world, and one of those many is Latoya Fletcher. 

“The color of your skin is a weapon, didn’t you know?,” Latoya said as we were talking about the video and other victims that have died at the hands of police.  I asked her why (besides the obvious) what made this event push people more to protest than in the past with other stories you hear about. 

“The fact that they wanted to charge [Officer Chauvin] him originally with manslaughter (which means unintentional) how is that unintentional?  The three officers involved did not intervene and they also kept other people from interfering.  Now if it were regular citizens, I would just call that gang activity.  If they are in uniform, it is their job to protect people.  You are not doing your job.  You are not doing your job at all.  It makes me sick.  I can’t even imagine standing there watching something like that and not doing anything,” Latoya said.   It is that helplessness that people feel, that history keeps repeating itself and there is no punishment for these acts.  It is now 29 years since the beating of Rodney King by more than a dozen LAPD that was also aired on TV.  Only four officers were charged and eventually acquitted that led to five days of rioting in Los Angeles, CA.

The conversation continued about having video proof and how there is little faith in our justice system from the Black community. 

“People say, ‘oh well, the whole thing was videotaped so we can see it,’ doesn’t matter.  The video of Rodney King was videotaped that didn’t help.  There are plenty of other lives.  That’s why it runs so much deeper.  People are so upset.  I can only feel like he [Chauvin] was like what? I’m going to get away with this,” Latoya explained. 

The anger doesn’t just stem from having to visually see these acts.  It is the fact that you are watching this and the end result is always the same: acquittal.  With everything being videotaped nowadays you would think it would be an open/shut case.  The proof is there.  Yet it only adds to fury when it shows another Black life doesn’t matter. 

“The District Attorney decides whether these cops get prosecuted and they are not prosecuting them.  I will even go further and say yeah these cops might be racist, but the court system is racist too because they allow it to go on with no consequences.  You can just take Black lives and it is fine.  Why can’t you just give us one? One ounce of justice please, out of thousands of black lives that have been taken,” Latoya said.

Latoya has a fire that burns within her.  She wanted to get involved immediately and be a part of as many protests as she had time to do. 

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Latoya Fletcher – mom and activist – doing what she’s doing for the next generation, including her son. Courtesy Photo

“I’m not going to sit at home.  When they say The Revolution will not be televised means you can’t sit at home.  You need to get out there and be a part of this movement.  I say that silence is violence,” Latoya said.  She was able to give me her first-hand account of these protests. 

“The initial march in Manchester was very moving.  I was very emotional about it, to see everyone come together and to say that they cared because I have faced racism my entire life.” 

She was able to get a few people together and attended the rally in Boston which did get more intense. 

“We got there a little late and it was completely crazy, that’s when it was literally a street riot,” Latoya said. 

She witnessed people smashing bricks, watched two people get run over by a car and the driver was chased up the street by the crowd and beaten, she has videos of people screaming in cops faces “Stop killing us,” people lighting off fireworks in the middle of crowds, and saw a corner store vandalized, amongst other things.  She admitted that she didn’t feel scared because she understood why people were doing it. 

“Not saying it is right to smash in windows of small businesses and things like that, but they’re angry and they’re upset with the way things are and to get people to listen to you is a very hard thing to do… when people are already set in their ways,” Latoya explained. 

After she returned home from Boston, she spoke with her cousin Ramsay on the phone and they agreed that they needed to bring this awareness to their community.  That next night she led a march down Elm Street, but her boyfriend pulled her out of the crowd once they were heading toward South Willow because it was supposed to get crazy. 

“What happened in Manchester was very mild.  I don’t stand for terrorism.  I don’t stand for anarchy.  I’m not a thug.  What I want is true democracy,” Latoya explained.  Latoya then led a march with her cousin Ramsay Dean in Portsmouth and that was the largest march against police brutality in NH to date. 

“I don’t think it’s a protest when you ask the police if you can march the streets.  That’s a parade.  Why am I calling you, asking you for permission to protest you, for you to supervise us to protest you?” Latoya said.  She went on to explain that the Portsmouth police officers were called out to kneel with them and they refused.  

“So we cooperated with you and there you are standing up for your brotherhood.  It’s not about the police are bad, that’s what makes it look bad.  That you guys can’t say, oh there is a bad apple, we’re sorry, we are here to protect your community, we took an oath to protect your community, it’s our job to protect people and it’s our job to protect human lives,” Latoya said.

As the conversation progressed, Latoya gave me some of her ideas on what she thinks could help change this clearly broken system. One idea was to defund the police. 

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Latoya Fletcher and her cousin, Ramsay Dean, at the Portsmouth NH Black Lives Matter march. Courtesy Photo.

“You don’t need that many police officers.  You don’t need that many guns.  You really don’t.  You should use that money and put it back into the community,” Latoya said. 

Another idea was to allow whistleblowing within the police force. 

“You have good cops, but they are penalized for being good cops if they stand up,” Latoya explained.  Cops could be retrained or add more training to handle situations differently.  As ideas were floating around, the conversation led to the fact of the government and how it starts from the top down. 

“I understand that these officers are doing what they are told.  Hey, Nazis went to trial for only doing what they were told.  You know right from wrong,” Latoya explained.  “I don’t understand why the leader of our country won’t hear us out.  Literally hear out the entire country, the world that is protesting.  You just can’t try to fit a little bit of unity in there?  Instead, you send out the National Guard and tell us to go home and shut-up and basically tell us this is how it’s going to be,” Latoya said.  

Even at the state level, there has been a call to action to remove people involved in politics that are racist.  Ironically, during this interview, there was a pop-up protest event at City Hall to demand the resignation of two aldermen, Joe Levasseur and Michael Porter, for social media posts that were called out by the public as racist and violent.  Latoya even got into an argument with someone on Facebook who stood up for Alderman Levasseur’s usage of the word “zipperhead,” aimed at one of Manchester’s young activists, stating it had several meanings.  

“I’m like okay how old is this guy?  Zipperhead became a racial slur in the Sixties in Vietnam and it’s referred to shooting an Asian in the head and watching their head split like a zipper.  So you explain to me what do you think he meant by that when he said get a job you zipperhead,” Latoya asked. 

She went on to say that it is important for people to get involved in local politics, to educate yourself on who is running this city, this state. 

“This system was designed and created by slave owners.  Right now the fire has started and what I say is throw more gasoline on that fire.  Make more people aware that you can make a change and your voice does matter.  As small as you may feel, if you come together and there is unity and you tell them yeah I know everyone is upset, but this is how you fix it.  Start from the bottom and work your way to the top,” Latoya said.

Even at the pop-up protest and as we walk downtown, Latoya is recognized by people who either have attended the same marches or seen her videos that have been shared and viewed by thousands of people.  She is thanked and praised for the work she is doing and how it helps motivate others to do the same.  This gives her the fuel to keep going even when she feels overwhelmed, scared, or in some moments, discouraged. 

If you would like to meet Latoya and support her and the cause, she is leading another protest on Sunday June 28 at 4 p.m. starting at Veterans Memorial Park 723 Elm St., in Manchester, called the March Against Police Brutality and Racial Injustice.  


72906283 452249532088851 4579262137783812096 nVeranette March is a freelance writer and actress from Manchester.

About this Author

Veranette March

Veranette March is a freelance writer from New Hampshire.