Violin Vigil for McClain Proceeds, Despite Police Presence
Story and Photos by Giles Clasen
Thousands of people planned to gather at a violin vigil to remember Elijah McClain nearly a year after year after he died while being arrested by Aurora, Colo. Police.
Families walked toward the protest with their children, while carrying lawn chairs and violins to watch world-renowned musicians play. The plan was for area violinists to play as a remembrance to McClain, who taught himself to play guitar and violin.
The plan was for a peaceful night to remember the peaceful McClain, whose last words to the police were, “I am an introvert. I’m just different. That’s all. I’m so sorry. I have no gun. I don’t do that stuff. I don’t do any fighting. Why are you attacking me? I don’t even kill flies. I don’t eat meat. Forgive me… I will do anything. Sacrifice my identity, I’ll do it. You are all phenomenal. You are beautiful and I love you. Try to forgive me.”
Instead, the police, dressed in heavy riot gear, equipped with batons, pepper spray, and grenade launchers loaded with rubber bullets, demanded everyone disperse. They used their batons and pepper spray to force the people off of city property.
Before the police were able to completely clear the area, Jeff Hughes stood in the bed of a black pickup, just feet from where the police were using batons against the crowd and played his electric violin over loudspeakers. The crowd, once in conflict with the police, immediately turned their attention to the music and participated in the peaceful vigil they had expected.
Later Ashanti Floyd and Lee England Jr, professional violinists who had flown into Aurora for the vigil, played for the crowd.
“We wouldn’t have known [McClain’s] story and it would have been swept under the rug,” England Jr. said in an Instagram post the following morning. “I mean as you see they just reopened the case and that would not have happened if not for all of the individuals who have been out in the street speaking up. Who have been speaking up.
“If you feel like your voice is not being heard, and you feel like you are working in vain, it is not true at all. Every little bit of it counts. Every little bit is necessary. So, whatever it is that you’re doing, continue to do it.”
There is a dispute over why the police tried to disband those gathered. In a statement, after the event, the Aurora Police said those in the crowd were throwing rocks at the police. But before trying to break up the gathering, the police said over the loudspeaker that they were forcing everyone to disperse because they claim to have seen individuals in attendance pick up rocks. There was no announcement that rocks had been thrown.
“I was up in front almost the entire time,” Melinda Russell said. “When I first arrived there were metal, removable barricades that were lying down on the ground. The cops were standing behind the barrier near the station. No one crossed the barrier. No one threw anything. We were chanting staying on our side of that fence.”
The crowd was growing larger and larger by the minute. But remained peaceful. Some held signs. Some chanted statements like, “No justice. No Peace. Fuck the police,” and, “Say his name, Elijah McClain.” Still, no one challenged the police barriers, created graffiti or damaged property.
The police were rotating officers regularly and at one point a new group of police came to the barrier with their gas masks on. The officers at the barricade stepped back, took a knee, put on their gas masks then prepared to take on the crowd.