On Thursday June 18, 2020 between the hours of 7:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., representatives of the Denton County NAACP attended a Black Lives Matter protest on the downtown square in Pilot Point. As no more than four dozen protestors gathered at the center of the square, we listened as local residents of color read aloud several anonymous statements of support written by their neighbors and loved ones who all confessed a sincere fear of retaliation from public officials, law enforcement, and supremacists in the community for attending a local Black Lives Matter protest.
We also observed how local authorities staged more than three dozen state police vehicles full of officers, several in tactical gear, north of the square. Considering the Pilot Point police force is currently comprised of less than a dozen officers, non-local officers alone outnumbered peaceful protestors no less than 3:1.
Throughout the evening, we witnessed leading figures in the Pilot Point Police Department make small talk with counter-protestors while they simultaneously refused to speak with protestors who requested their participation in efforts to establish a community dialogue.
We also witnessed Pilot Point officers repeatedly refuse protestor requests to intervene and help de-escalate the scene as counter protestors and agitators surrounded BLM protestors, predominately those of color, on the city square from all sides to launch verbal assaults and threats. At one point, a counter protestor brandished a weapon while spewing what can only be described as hate speech. Our firsthand observations this evening made it abundantly clear to us why so many Pilot Point residents of color feel so unsafe expressing their First Amendment rights within their own community.
These facts considered, the Denton County NAACP extends its support and encouragement to Black Lives Matter protestors in Pilot Point and all protestors within our jurisdiction who wish to make a non-violent stand against the systemic racism that has long plagued North Texas communities. At the same time, our organization highly condemns the inflammatory tactics employed by counter protestors to quell the First Amendment rights of Pilot Point residents of all races who came together in solidarity for DENTON COUNTY BRANCH black lives.
Furthermore, members of our executive board welcome any all opportunities to work and converse with local officials to ensure public peace and racial equality in all of Denton County and we further encourage Pilot Point law officials to look to and seek guidance from the Denton and Lewisville Police Departments, where leaders have consistently and transparently cooperated with local protest organizers over the last two weeks to ensure that all residents within their respective communities feel safe to express their constitutional rights.
Let it be known that the Denton County NAACP will continue to regularly attend Black Lives Matter protests throughout Denton County, including Pilot Point, to closely monitor the actions of counter protestors and local law enforcement, as well as document how residents of color are treated within their respective communities before, during, and after protests. We encourage any person in Pilot Point or anywhere in Denton County who feels that their First Amendment rights have been violated or that they have been discriminated against on account of their racial identity to notify us directly by email: contact@naacpdentoncounty.com.
Finally, to those who seek to impede the wave of change that continues to swell across our country, our message is simple:
The days of old guard politics and policing in the dark are over. Now is the time for transparency, accountability, and meaningful action on behalf of all elected officials, local law enforcement agencies, as well as each resident within every community. We cannot and will not go backwards. The only path that lies ahead leads forward. Join us. There is room for everyone in the bright future that lies ahead.
Thank you,
Denton County NAACP
President, Willie Hudspeth