Protest stays peaceful because cooler heads prevailed

There were times when the scene playing out in downtown Goldsboro Sunday evening was consistent with other protests that have broken out across the country since George Floyd died in the custody of members of the Minneapolis Police Department May 25.

The chants were familiar — from “Black lives matter.” and “I can’t breathe.” to “No justice. No peace.” and “Hands up. Don’t shoot.”

The route was similar — from the city’s core to the courthouse to the police station.

Like demonstrators in other cities, they laid on the pavement and put their hands behind their backs — then threw them into the air and raised single fists skyward.

Sure, the crowd was smaller — fewer than 200 — but if you had forgotten, for a moment, that you were in a small town, you could have pictured most of them as part of some of the most well-organized protests that have taken place across the country in recent days.

But there were key differences, too — ones that likely left business owners and law enforcement officials breathing a sigh of relief as the crowd dissipated just after 10 p.m.

There were no fires. No broken windows. No rubber bullets flying or tear gas deployed.

This was, for the most part, a peaceful protest — one that should make every resident of Wayne County proud.

It could have easily gone the other way, but there was a reason it did not.

We thought you needed to know why, as the word on social media is that more local protests are being planned, potentially as early as Monday.

Our city got out of Sunday evening’s demonstration unscathed because of leadership, which was on display from the beginning.

It took a while for the group to assemble, but once the crowd had reached just shy of 100, the marching began.

Several business owners stood outside their respective front doors — watching to see whether or not this particular demonstration would dissolve into the chaos other cities, including Greenville and Raleigh, have witnessed.

That’s when two members of the Goldsboro Police Department stepped in.

They approached the line of people and, as each protestor passed them by, extended a fist bump to men and women whose very reason for taking to the streets was to express frustration at the practices of some law enforcement officers.

The simple gesture might not seem like much on the surface, but it was a moment.

And you could sense by the reactions of those on the receiving end of that show of solidarity that what those two officers did meant something.

The next hour saw more marching, chanting and a stop at the Wayne County Courthouse.

People in cars honked their horns and yelled words of encouragement to those making their voices heard.

Law enforcement was present but kept a low profile — another display of calm and leadership we believe made a difference.

But when the crowd grew by another 100 a few moments later — more specifically, when several groups of high school-age young men entered the fray — what had been, to that point, a peaceful demonstration started to turn.

Some shouted obscenities at and about law enforcement.

Others made racially charged comments.

And then, somehow, this group of young people took the lead — and the crowd followed them toward the GPD headquarters.

As they approached the building, two young men jumped on top of police cars.

Another threw a handful of rocks at the side of a cruiser.

Several of those who had led the protest earlier in the evening implored them to stop.

“Remember, this isn’t a riot,” one said.

A few others separated from the group and started walking back toward Center Street.

“These kids are gonna get us killed,” an older black man in a “Black Lives Matter” T-shirt said. “I didn’t come down here to let these punks burn this city down.”

They sensed this was the moment everything would change.

They could foresee the danger.

But then, two members of the crowd stepped in.

They ran toward the group of young men and told them to stop.

They put themselves out there to ensure the protestors’ message wasn’t stained by violence and destruction.

They showed leadership knowing that at any moment, the crowd could’ve turned on them.

And in the end, it was these two citizens who likely prevented what could have easily been a violent confrontation — complete with arrests, pepper spray and a public relations nightmare for the city.

They just so happened to be Brandi Matthews and Antonio Williams, members of the Goldsboro City Council.

And their actions on this night were noticed, by protestors and police officers alike.

So yes, what unfolded downtown Sunday evening could have made headlines for all the wrong reasons.

There could have been windows broken and stores looted.

There could have been violent confrontations between law enforcement and demonstrators.

But instead, those who cleared the streets just before 10:30 made their point without resorting to violence and, perhaps, might have prompted the beginning of a conversation on race this, and every, city desperately needs to have.

Not every community can say that.