‘A positive place of community.’ Black Lives Matter protests spread in Johnson County

While the largest Black Lives Matter protests were held in Kansas City, citizens at several cities in Johnson County gathered in peace to deliver the message that it’s time for justice in the wake of George Floyd’s death last month in Minneapolis.

From Overland Park to Shawnee, protests were held over the weekend and planned throughout this week.

On Sunday, a group of about 200 people lined several blocks of Antioch in Overland Park to bring awareness to the death of Floyd.

Georgia Copeland, who moves with the aid of a walker, needed a little help kneeling during eight minutes of silence. When asked about the difficultly she had taking a knee, Copeland said, “It’s nothing compared to what our black brothers and sisters have had to go through.”

Downtown Olathe was the scene of two protests over the weekend, on Friday night and Sunday afternoon. Kaleigh Ousley and Pay Guerra organized the latter. Ousley estimated that about 60 people attended Sunday’s event.

Ousley said she wanted to provide an alternative for people who weren’t comfortable attending the crowded protests in Kansas City.

“A majority of the people that were there (in Olathe) were white, and to see the support and how passionate they were to fight, it just makes me feel like the world can change, and it’s not so bad. There are so many people willing to fight just as hard with us and stand with us as minorities,” she said.

Ousley, a 2018 graduate of Olathe North High School, said she experienced racial stereotyping from other students starting in middle school. This protest left her feeling hopeful for the future.

“If one person can change their views on the rights and wrongs of this world and educate themselves, anyone can,” she said.

When people of color are mistreated by police, or anyone, in America, it’s personal for Jennifer Robinson — a white woman from Overland Park who organized a peaceful suburban protest on a Sunday night when a demonstration wasn’t nearly so tranquil in midtown Kansas City.

“I am married to a brown-skinned man, my husband Darryl, and our kids are DJ and Maddison,” she said, describing her blended family of 14 years in an email.

“In the landscape of America there are so many families like mine that have something to say, but so many friends called me over the past week and they all had something to say as well ... so there it was.”

On Facebook, Robinson urged people to gather at 7 p.m. May 31 along the east side of Switzer Street between 119th and 135th streets. She said 55 to 60 people showed up.

Over the years, Robinson has seen her children treated differently because of their color. She gave examples on Facebook: DJ handcuffed “for no reason at all” and Maddison followed in a store and stopped in a gated Oklahoma community where she was merely visiting a friend.

“I wanted to find a way to channel my anger and sadness about events in this country (again) into a more positive space of community and conversation,” Robinson said. “I was watching so much of the country erupt into anger and pain that is totally justified, and I just wanted to go outside and do something.“

Robinson couldn’t attend a larger protest for health reasons, but saw a chance to give a voice to fellow suburbanites.

“Neighbor next to neighbor, complete strangers making new friends,” she said. “Even behind so many masks, we were able to see and feel joy around one another and standing up for one another. It is the most kind and human thing we can do.”

Robinson intends to repeat the event, building participation through Facebook.

This story was originally published June 8, 2020 at 2:34 PM with the headline "‘A positive place of community.’ Black Lives Matter protests spread in Johnson County."