Still wondering why a protest got the green light during a pandemic? Here's why

Officials estimate 10,000 people turned out to London's Black Lives Matter rally on Saturday, June 6. 

Spokesperson Alexandra Kane joined London Morning host Rebecca Zandbergen to talk about the success of the rally and what comes next for the city. 

What did you make of Saturday?

Saturday was phenomenal. I'm so proud of my city for the very first time. London has been racist toward me and my family and London came through and it was just incredible.

What stood out for you?

The fact that everybody showed up so strong. The precautions that everyone understood to take and everybody was wearing masks and using hand sanitizer. You could smell the Lysol in the air. 

Why do you think it was right for a protest like this to go ahead at a time when we've been physically distancing because of the pandemic? 

I said it at the protest, and I'll say it again. Being Black is worse than the potential of catching COVID. Being Black is a threat. For my whole life, my skin colour has been a threat. It's not something I can quarantine away for 14 days. This is permanent. And we needed to join the voice of the entire world with this. The movement was happening now, with or without us. 

There was a moment where things could have gotten violent. What happened?

It looked like people were just rallying and ready to go. I saw the man, standing still with his arms crossed in defiance. People were trying to eject him. We definitely got concerned and we had to intervene and step in and pull focus on the tasks and matter at hand. And pull focus back to the movement.

You got people chanting something at that time. Tell me about that.

People were aching to come together. People were aching in that moment for a solution that was non-violent. People were scared. There were children close by. My brother was right next to the scuffle. I took the mic and one of the organizers whispered in my ear and said, 'Tell them to take a knee,' and that's what I did. I said 'If you're here for peace, take a knee.' The wave of people instantly just knelt. It was such a moment in London. It was such a moment for me and the organizers. It was, 'Yes, we can do this peacefully.'

You talked about some of the racist encounters you have had here in London. Can you tell me about that?

There are several and we don't have that kind of time. But even after the rally I was the last one to pack up and leave and an older white lady passed by my brother, my sister-in-law and I and said, 'Nothing changes. I'm still afraid of you.' It almost was defeating, like you're not listening. You didn't hear anything. We did this peacefully. 

We've heard a lot about how there are racist encounters like the one you just described. But there is also the deeper, more rooted systemic issue that is the heart of all of this. You drafted a letter to the city of London of the kinds of things that you'd like to see change. What were some of the steps that you included in that letter?

It was a project, a letter that came together with several voices. Several local Black leaders provided their input for real change. The point of this letter is to make sure that we can move forward with proper changes that will benefit the Black and Indigenous communities. Defunding the police and reallocating those funds to social programs, because police are handling things that social workers should, that counselors should, that mental health care workers should. Our kids shouldn't have to go to school to see a cop. A school should be a safe place. Cops trigger Black people. Cops trigger Indigenous peoples. I can speak for the entire Black community when we say we are afraid of the police. We don't have trust.

When you say defund the police, do you know what that looks like? I'm assuming you don't mean there will be no police.

No, I'm not saying we don't need a police force. That would be ridiculous. Of all the budget in London, 18 per cent of it goes to police services. Social workers, counselors, mental health care workers, programs: all together they receive less than one police service. We have room in that budget to spend and provide housing for marginalized communities, to provide lunch programs for kids in schools. They don't need so much money. I keep referring back to L.A. If they can do it in a matter of weeks, where are we? Come on, now.

Did you leave Saturday's rally feeling hopeful? Are you excited about things to come?

I am. I cannot wait. The Black leaders in London were forming a coalition called the Black London Network where we can provide education and resources. We're looking to unify and connect our community with each other and provide support and a safe place for our youth and marginalized peoples. So, I'm very excited that the community is on board with us. I cannot wait for the future to begin.