Peace kept as rallies converge in downtown Greencastle
Waving American flags, holding up signs and chanting slogans, at least 200 people gathered on the south lawn of the Putnam County Courthouse Saturday to voice their support for law enforcement.
Beginning at 10 a.m., the Back the Blue Rally was met with the near-continuous sound of horns from passersby. However, the tension rose when supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement organized on the west side of the courthouse an hour later for what has become a weekly protest.
While there were instances of confrontation throughout, both groups ultimately remained peaceful and no violence precipitated between them.
Putnam County Sheriff Scott Stockton told the Banner Graphic during the pro-police demonstration that it was a “collage” of different interest groups exercising their right to free speech.
Hoping for an uneventful day and with everything “so far, so good,” the sheriff said there was a “strategic plan” in place in case of “things going awry.” He also said he had spoken with representatives of both groups to lay down the ground rules.
“We don’t want to have any conflict, but you can appreciate emotion versus intellect — when emotion’s high, intellect’s low, and we can’t dictate and read everyone’s intent here,” Stockton said.
While he and local enforcement were happy with the outpouring of support for them, Stockton wanted a peaceful event regardless — no matter what the political or social perspectives each side took.
“Everyone has the right to exercise their First Amendment rights,” he said. “Where it crosses the line is where it becomes physical or a specific threat, or if weapons are drawn, things of that nature.
“Both sides understand that; they can appreciate that we in law enforcement will be intolerant of any acts of violence or threats in any manner,” Stockton emphasized. “And when it comes to ‘Justice is blind,’ we will not play favorites with anybody.”
Stockton said public safety is paramount. This is to the point that he said the police have the support of the Putnam County Prosecutor’s Office to intervene in cases of property damage or battery.
“What we don't wanna do in this community is to convey to visitors and to the people who live here that there’s not a plan in place that people can’t get along,” he said, “that there’s constant fighting and consternation and opposing views that can’t be expressed.
“I’m glad that we can have this,” Stockton added. “It’s refreshing that people can get together and convey their thoughts, protest, do what they want. Then they can go home and no one’s hurt.”
During both the pro-police and BLM demonstrations, the Greencastle Farmers Market and an open house for downtown businesses were winding down and starting up, respectively.
“I love my American way,” said participant Karl Szewc. “We make fun of Pollocks, Kentuckians, Tennesseans and all Americans. We know how to live.”
Szewc — who led the pro-police group in chants of “Back the blue, how ‘bout you!” — said the rally was to show “our brothers in blue” the respect he believed they needed and deserved.
“I don’t know how they do their job with what’s going on in America, but we appreciate their ability and their willingness to do it for us,” he said.
Szewc also negatively characterized youth involved in the nationwide movement against police violence.
“This is a response on my part for intimidation,” he said. “I’m tired of walking down the street and getting intimidated by people who didn’t even know how (America) was made, where they stand for.
“They go by and give you the finger right there in your face, like idiots,” Szewc added. “This country is turning over to a bunch of idiots, only we ain’t gonna let it.”
Emphasizing that this was a “free America,” Szewc said the rally was about people coming out speaking their mind and however they felt. He invoked President Donald Trump being able to do the same.
“That’s a whole other ballgame; this is not political,” Szewc concluded. “It can be political if they wanna make it that way.”
Toward the end of the pro-police demonstration — which disbanded by about 12:30 p.m. — pro-Trump flags had been unfurled by some of the participants.
Members of Greencastle Christian Church handed out peanut butter-and-jelly sack lunches to both sides.
Joseph Harris — the vice-president of the Greencastle branch of the NAACP — said this BLM protest had the same goal as the others that have been held on previous Saturdays since June.
“I think the Black Lives Matter protests have had the same objective that they’ve had all summer,” Harris told the Banner Graphic about wanting to bring awareness to racial inequality and police violence.
While the BLM protests have not highlighted instances specific to Greencastle or Putnam County, Harris suggested that issues of police violence and racial tension still affect this community.
“I think that what you see is (that) we have people who are here from all over the place,” he said. “There’s no magical bubble shield that keeps Greencastle and Putnam County from being affected on the macro-level.”
Harris referenced a letter submitted by Greencastle Police Chief Tom Sutherlin following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minn. In it, Sutherlin indicated that the incident, “in no way represents the mission or our training in regard to use of force.”
Harris connected the letter with community members participating in the BLM protests, in that both sides recognized that what happened was wrong.
“They didn’t have to live there to see the injustice,” he stressed.
Harris said some of the pro-police demonstrators approached the BLM protesters and shouted “Don’t do drugs,” in addition to other provocations like people driving by and yelling racial slurs. One BLM protester repeatedly yelled “Black Lives Matter” to some of them near the Buzz Bomb.
“I think what you saw was a bunch of people who are passionate about their beliefs,” Harris said. “I think from the Black Lives Matter side, you saw a wide variety of people ... You saw a very diverse group of people over there.”
The BLM protest — which numbered about 150 people — was made up of community members intermingled with DePauw University students.
“I think that a lot of times, people think that for you to say ‘Black Lives Matter,’ you only have to be Black to care about that,” Harris professed.
“You saw quite a lot of White people out there who cared about this issue and wanted their voice to be heard, and to let people know that this isn’t just a Black issue; this is an issue that’s affecting America.”