CLEVELAND — This time last year, people across the nation marched to demand accountability for the death of George Floyd. In Cleveland, a new man’s name is being called.
Vincent Belmonte, 18, was shot and killed by an East Cleveland police officer in early January following a stolen car chase.
Hundreds of people gathered at Heritage Middle School in East Cleveland on May 31 to honor Belmonte and his family and to demand accountability.
“We want to bring attention to what happened to Vincent Belmonte. We want to bring attention to what happened to Arthur Keith. we want to bring attention to these victims. And so, you know, we’re able to do this when media shows up. We’re able to do this when people who are driving by, walking by say, Hey, What’s this about? If it wasn’t on our radar, it’s gonna be on their radar,” said Kareem Henton, an organizer of the march and co-founder of Black Lives Matter Cleveland.
“It’s not just about what’s happening nationally. It’s about what’s happening here locally. And we have our own local law enforcement, and our local prosecutors and so forth that need to be dealt with and need to be dealing with these matters very seriously.”
The marchers walked 15 minutes to the East Cleveland Police Department. They shut down the streets and made a statement.
“This is to disrupt. This is to make a statement that this is not OK. Here on Memorial Day, we’re here in memorial of Vincent Belmonte because that life can never come back. So we hold in that space for this family today. But the work itself continues outside of this,” said Josiah Quarles, an organizer of Black Spring Cleveland, a Black-led abolitionist organization seeking to re-imagine the definition of public health and safety in Cleveland.
“I’m here because I see the wrongs. And I can’t just sit and do nothing.”
Recently, Floyd’s killer was found guilty on all charges.
The marchers at the May 31 march and rally for Vincent Belmonte are focused on holding other police officers accountable, starting locally.
“So we see a George Floyd verdict on and we’re encouraged that somewhere, somebody does something one time. But one time is not enough. So we’re here every time, every time is the right time,” Quarles said.
Brother and sister duo Maddy and Austin Teal said they came to the march to help amplify Black voices.
“I think it’s super important because there’s not a lot of people that are being listened to. And a lot of times that’s a person of color because they’re not taken seriously. And sometimes it takes a white person to stand up and say something and then pass the mic to them to make sure that their voices are heard. Because it can’t just be us. It has to be everyone together,” Austin said.
“There’s not going to be any peace until there’s justice. And we will not stop until that happens,” Maddy said. “The more people that come out, and the more people that have that passion, I feel like we’re gonna start making a difference. Not only law enforcement, but people higher up.”
While some progress has been made in the last year, the marchers agree there’s still a long way to go. But with voices loud and hands high, they’ll continue to keep the pressure on.
