Name: Teenagers join pantheon of Nashville youth who harnessed peaceful protests to urge change
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Teenagers join pantheon of Nashville youth who harnessed peaceful protests to urge change

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Nashville TennesseanView CommentsOn Thursday, Jade Fuller, Nya Collins, Zee Thomas, Kennedy Green,&nbsp;Emma Rose Smith and Mikayla Smith —&nbsp;ages 14 through 16&nbsp;— claimed their place among generations of young people in Nashville who used peaceful protests to push social change.The six teenagers organized the region's largest protest against racism and police brutality in recent memory.Together, the organizers&nbsp;led tens of thousands of people on&nbsp;a miles-long march around the city,&nbsp;through brutal heat and pouring rain,&nbsp;with a simple message."Not one more."With tears in their eyes, they chanted the names of several black men and women police have killed in recent years.George Floyd.&nbsp;Breonna Taylor. Ahmaud Arbery. Daniel Hambrick.They marched, they said, to keep that list from growing, and to force changes within police departments.Their work mirrored the famed student-led&nbsp;protests that and made the city a hub of the civil rights movement.Floyd, who was&nbsp;black, died last week in Minneapolis after a white police officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes. His death became a flashpoint in longstanding debates&nbsp;over racism and policing.Protests swept through cities across the country, sometimes marked by police in riot gear firing tear gas and rubber bullets into large crowds&nbsp;as individuals set fires and damaged buildings.In Nashville on Saturday, , when some in the crowd broke windows and set fires in city hall. Police wearing masks and carrying shields&nbsp;deployed tear gas and arrested dozens.The teenage organizers of Thursday's demonstration were adamant that they would not allow unrest to distract from their dire calls for social justice. They urged the crowd to scuttle any disturbances and to avoid unnecessary confrontation with law enforcement in their path.“We need to change America,"&nbsp;Fuller said.&nbsp;"I want you guys to just see everyone.”Their strategy seemed to be successful. By late Thursday, after more than five hours of marching, no serious incidents or crimes had been reported.Instead, they brought their message through the heart of the downtown entertainment district and to the steps of the state Capitol, blocking traffic and dominating the streets as they went.At the foot of Legislative Plaza, the sprawling crowd knelt, sat and laid down on the pavement. They took up several city blocks on Deaderick Street and Sixth Avenue North.They stayed there for more than eight minutes, the length of time a Minneapolis police officer kept his knee pressed against Floyd's neck before he died.Floyd's death, which was caught on video, has drawn condemnation from Nashville police Chief Steve Anderson, Mayor John Cooper and Gov. Bill Lee.But many in the crowd said the leaders must do more than release statements. Instead, protesters said, serious reforms must be made.Earlier in the day, Cooper agreed to review the police department's use-of-force policies and to "commit to any necessary reforms." Former President Barack Obama has urged mayors across the country to do so.Marcher Isaiah Edwards, 22, who came in from Murfreesboro,&nbsp;said a deeper cultural change&nbsp;was needed among law enforcement as well.“What would give a solution to all of this?" he asked. "If police ended up standing down and actually walking with their citizens.”Nashvillian Blaine Howard, 18, said she came out Thursday to draw more attention to the pervasive scourge of&nbsp;police brutality, white supremacy and systemic oppression.&nbsp;The rising Vanderbilt University sophomore said she’s proud of people protesting. She was disappointed that vandalism and property damage after a Saturday night rally in Nashville had .“I feel like this movement is being taken advantage of," Howard said.&nbsp;"The police response is unwarranted.”When the crowd&nbsp;encountered rows of police in riot gear surrounding Lower Broadway honky-tonks, they marched on. When they passed by a state trooper's cruiser at the peak of the march,&nbsp;they left it unscathed.At the end of the evening, the Nashville police department thanked the protesters for bringing their message to the city. Cooper cheered the young women who had made it all happen."Thank you for your commitment to justice and for elevating our city’s collective conscience," the mayor wrote on Twitter.&nbsp;"I am listening, Nashville, and I am determined to work towards real, lasting change."The young women&nbsp;indicated they were far from done, posting an aerial video of the crowd they brought together on their Instagram page ."Change is coming," they wrote.&nbsp;"We see it we feel it, we know it. A new revolution is on the way."Joel Ebert contributed to this report.Reach Adam Tamburin at 615-726-5986 and . Follow him on Twitter . View Comments

Nashville TennesseanView CommentsOn Thursday, Jade Fuller, Nya Collins, Zee Thomas, Kennedy Green,&nbsp;Emma Rose Smith and Mikayla Smith —&nbsp;ages 14 through 16&nbsp;— claimed their place among generations of young people in Nashville who used peaceful protests to push social change.The six teenagers organized the region's largest protest against racism and police brutality in recent memory.Together, the organizers&nbsp;led tens of thousands of people on&nbsp;a miles-long march around the city,&nbsp;through brutal heat and pouring rain,&nbsp;with a simple message."Not one more."With...

Teenagers join pantheon of Nashville youth who harnessed peaceful protests to urge change

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