As demonstrators throughout Texas and the country have taken to the streets, sometimes in crowds numbering tens of thousands, smaller protests are now reaching more rural pockets, including Alpine.
Approximately 350 West Texans marched in Alpine over the weekend to protest against systemic racism and the police killings of black people, including George Floyd in Minneapolis, Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Tony McDade in Tallahassee and Mike Ramos in Austin. Organizers believe Saturday’s demonstration was the first Black Lives Matter rally in Alpine and brought a large — if not the largest — protest crowd to Far West Texas in recent years.
The March began at the visitor's center and went down Holland Street before ending at the Brewster County Courthouse — less than five minutes from Sul Ross State University, the school named after Lawerence Sulivan Ross, a Texas Ranger and Confederate soldier, who became governor of Texas. Unlike most marches in Alpine, protestors took to the street, walking down Highland Ave. behind a police escort. Chants of "Black lives matter" and "your silence is violence" echoed through the town of 6,000.
Some onlookers cheered from the streets as the procession made its way through town, others — some donning red Make America Great hats — stood outside businesses and looked on.
Twenty-two-year old Sedia Woods led the march. Woods, who's originally from Houston moved to Alpine to attend school.
"I think people of color, and not of color, are tired of having the same story show up on their television, having the same problems every single generation," said Woods. "I don’t want to have to teach my little kids that they’re gonna be different because of the color of their skin, but I have to. We need to get to a point where we don’t have to because it’s not a problem."
“We as a black community are underrepresented here in West Texas. Why here? Because we’re here and we have a voice as well," said protestor Katrina Evans. "We’re still part of this community. We’re your neighbors, we’re your friends. We just want to live our lives and be a part of the community.”
The protest saw demonstrators from across all of West Texas. Some drove from the Shafter ghost town, others from neighboring cities like Marfa and some from as far away as Odessa and Midland, which had their own Black Lives Matter demonstrations in recent days.
"Change is sometimes uncomfortable," said Laurie Hollman, who drove to Saturday's demonstration from Fort Stockton. "Sometimes, for people, it’s easier to carry on with the status quo. But something’s got to give. And I think we’re at our breaking point."
