In Downey, young people call for systemic change

DOWNEY — It’s impossible to discuss the history of America without taking into account the treatment of minorities. From the wiping out of established indigenous populations to the 400-year institution of slavery and segregation which we continue to feel the repercussions of today, it’s clear that America, a country most often praised for being the “land of the free”, was founded and built upon narrowminded principles that keep its inhabitants from being anything but “free” depending on your the color of your skin, gender, sexuality, or economic status, for instance.

One could argue that current legislation in place protects minorities’ rights and their livelihood from being infringed upon, however, it would be absurd to claim that hate crimes, for example, stopped existing once the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed; this scenario applies for all laws that are meant to protect other minorities as well.

Although laws can be explicitly changed to ensure the rights of minorities, culture is something that is not so easily shifted. Lynchings still exist post Civil Rights act, as do hate crimes against other minority groups despite laws in place to prevent such violence.

This begs the question: if prejudice can overtly exist in our society today, who’s to say it isn’t covertly ingrained in American values and institutions? Discrimination is claimed to be something of the past, and yet, you have the overpolicing of low-income, predominantly Latinx and Black neighborhoods along with longer sentences given to people of color (POC) compared to their white counterparts for the same crime.

The aforementioned institutions, like that of the police and the violence they perpetuate against POC, are what sparked nationwide protests over the last few months. This energy eventually reached smaller cities such as Downey, leading to a march in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.

As protests continued to occur during pride month, a discussion was started about confronting queer prejudice within these already marginalized communities. What followed was Downey’s first ever Pride March. Donald Arrington, a 19-year-old citizen who played a role in bringing the march to life, along with an earlier BLM protest.

“ I led both of those marches and both of them had similar messages,” he said. “It is dire that we center the fight for Black lives around Black trans lives. Black trans-folk face scrutiny and prejudice in every aspect of living and have little to no privileges (which of course varies case by case).

“If you do not fight for one of the most marginalized communities within the Black community, then you are not an ally. We must tackle systemic racism at every level.”

Photo by Alex Dominguez

The momentum from these movements were then used to tackle the prejudice within Downey Unified School District, as many students have come forward about their experiences with sexual assault, racism, homophobia, and sexism at the hands of DUSD staff and its students. Essentially, what started as protests aimed at getting justice for those murdered by their respective cities’ police department has now snowballed into a movement calling for the reevaluation of every American value/institution in regards to who they actually serve and protect with hopes of creating a safer, more inclusive environment for the American people.

This is the first time in Downey history where something like this has occurred, where the community banded together to take to the streets to advocate for equality. At one of these protests, one individual carried a sign that read “reimagine public safety.”

While this is one of the main goals of these protests, when looked at in a broader sense, outside of police reform, it encourages citizens to reimagine what other aspects of the city could look like: If a pride march was held every year. If the city reformed the police department. If little kids weren’t afraid to be themselves or if POC didn’t have to fear for their life every time they were pulled over.

Moreover, with protests still being held throughout Downey and nationwide, the newfound revolution is keeping true to a popular chant heard at many of these events: “No justice, No Peace.” Aside from this being a popular chant at today’s rallies, it’s also reminiscent of marches of the past. Just like our brothers and sisters who were at the million man march or rioted at stonewall, we find that discrimination, regardless of time period, will always be met with civil disobedience. It’s evident that the marginalized will continue to fight for what’s right and make their voices heard, one way or another, until a brighter, more safer Downey is ensured.

Here are more questions and answers with Donald Arrington, on of the organizers of the BLM protest and the Pride March in Downey:

How did you go about organizing this march and what inspired you to do so?

I was actually approached by one of the co-organizers, Alexandria Contreras, and she asked me if I would be interested in helping her lead a Pride March in Downey. I was absolutely excited and happy to do so. Amidst all the change and pain people have been experiencing not only due to the Covid-19 pandemic but the uprising of the Black Lives Matter movement, it was important for me to try and bring my community together and unite them under a great cause.

What were some of the difficulties you experienced while organizing this march?

The only difficulties organizing the march was basically making sure we had all the resources to do so. While organizing, we feared that Downey PD would try to intervene (which they did might I add) so that was a bit frustrating. Another difficulty for me personally was making sure that I showed people that being a part of the LGBTQ+ community is also connected to the BLM movement. It’s important that Pride and BLM are connected.

Why do you think it’s important to have marches like these in small hometowns as opposed to attending the larger and more well known pride festivals?

If you are able to attend both then you should definitely do so. I don’t compare either because both are equally important to those who attend. A barrier for many people is that they don’t have access to transportation to take them to larger Pride marches or festivals, so having one in my little home named Downey is exactly for those people.

What do you hope to achieve from these local pride marches?

I hope people are inspired to love themselves. I hope people learn to love those around them no matter their sexuality, race, gender-identity, or pizza-topping preference. We’re all humans struggling to figure it out. It’s important to cultivate love in these small towns, especially Downey.

What’s next for you and your coalition?

The first thing for me is to rest. I co-organized a gathering outside of the DUSD office on the following Monday after the Pride March and it was a success. I’m working with other Downey residents and people who graduated out of the Downey Unified District to address the allegations of sexual assault as well as demand accountability, and also advocating for total curriculum reform. We’re going to abolish the current DUSD and work to build it from the ground up.