Two mothers turning their pain into a powerful movement to help get blacks to vote shared their personal stories that made national news about the police killings of their sons. They talked Sunday about racism, gun violence and police reform in the United States, the inequities in the criminal justice system and the need to get out and vote on every level.
Gwen Carr of New York and Maria Hamilton of Milwaukee spoke to 225 people at the 63rd anniversary luncheon of New Hope Baptist Church in Akron. They are supporters of Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton.
Carr is the mother of Eric Garner, the 43 year-old who died July 17, 2014, in Staten Island, N.Y., after an NYPD officer put him in a headlock. Police said Garner was illegally selling single cigarettes and resisted arrest.
“He was lying on the ground surrounded by five other police officers while the one officer held him in a chokehold,” Carr said. “My son begged for his life. He said 11 times, ‘I can’t breathe.’ You’ve seen the video.”
She said her son’s death ripped her heart out and killed her spirit.
Hamilton is the mother of Dontre Hamilton, 31, who died April 30, 2014, in a downtown Milwaukee park.
She said a Starbucks manager called police to report her son was asleep on a park bench nearby. The youngest of her four sons was relaxing while waiting for his brother to get off work. Two officers responding to the call checked on him twice and found he was doing nothing wrong and told the manager.
She said the manager then called the beat cop who told the area store managers that he was the one to call if they needed anyone removed.
The officer tried to pat Hamilton down but Hamilton fought him.
“The officer hit my son eight times with the billy club and my son took it away. The officer took 10 steps back and shot him 14 times.”
In both cases, there were no indictments.
The mothers said Hillary Clinton didn’t ask them to campaign for her, but they are supporting her because she came to them first, privately last March, and asked what she could do to help them during their troubled time. They said that’s the type of person they want in office, because she cared before she started campaigning.
They said their group Mothers of the Movement is supporting Clinton because she is committed to protecting the right to vote, ending the school-to-prison pipeline and ending the era of mass incarceration.
“We are here to tell you racism is real in this country. It didn’t end with the Civil Rights Movement,” Hamilton said. “We just stopped talking about it; we just got comfortable and became more relaxed in our own spaces. But now they’re killing our babies. A young black man or woman is killed every 14 hours in the country. Nobody sitting in this room or in this country is exempt. We have a gun violence problem and it’s a business and our country is the leader.”
The women urged people to not be content to stay home and watch things happen on television.
“Don’t sit back and do nothing like me until it knocked on my door and pulled me into it. Be active. Our ancestors died for our rights and it’s time for blacks to take back our rights,” Hamilton said. “Our babies are dying because we’re not standing up for our rights.”
Carr told the audience to step out of the box and take a stance by getting out to vote.
“Find a way to get in the way in a good way,” Carr said. “Stay in your lane and do what you do ... protest by marching or walking or writing letters. It shouldn’t be a crime to be black while walking.”
Sally Williams, 67, of Akron said she wasn’t sure who she was going to vote for, but now will vote for Clinton because she showed an interest in the women before the campaign.
“The women’s personal stories make me want to get busy and do something to help get the right people in office,” she said. “I’m very concerned about the killings. I have a son in his 30s.”
Edna Lewis, 80, of Copley said she works at the polls and sees firsthand the low turnout of black voters.
“You can’t make changes by yourself. It’s important to vote, and not just in presidential elections; local races are important too,” she said.
“I applaud the women for having the courage to step out and address others with their inner conflict, especially with the non-resolution of their personal situation,” said Torey Tolson, 38, of Stow. “You could feel the hurt in their voices.”
Lawrence Shuler, 68, of Akron said the women were inspirational.
“Racism is something blacks are working against all the time. We see it happening right here in Akron. It should motivate people to vote,” he said.
Mothers of the Movement members campaigning across the state for Clinton include the mothers of Trayvon Martin, the 17-year old shot by a neighborhood watch coordinator for a gated community in Florida; and Sandra Bland, the 28-year old found hanged in a jail cell in Texas.
Marilyn Miller can be reached at 330-996-3098 or mmiller@thebeaconjournal.com.