Vandergrift residents reflect after peaceful protests, see a better future

After a hectic two weeks of protests planned, canceled and rescheduled, many residents say there has been a shift in Vandergrift.

The town braced itself for riots that never came June 4 after a planned protest spurred backlash and threatening messages online. The protest’s organizers called off their event, but many people vowed to show up anyway.

That day’s peaceful event drew only 30-or-so protesters.

But hundreds more flooded Vandergrift’s streets June 7 for a second protest and a march around town. Cicily Bailey, 19, who organized the original protest, said she participated in the event and was pleased with how everything went.

Bailey estimated between 175 and 200 flooded Vandergrift’s streets. The protesters were people of all ages. Though several businesses stayed boarded up through the weekend, the day remained peaceful and many who attended said the mood was uplifting, hopeful.

“A lot of people, I think, did change their minds,” Bailey said. “Nothing bad happened at all.”

Then Tuesday, Bailey said she met with community leaders, including Vandergrift police, to begin organizing something bigger. Bailey said she’s hoping to organize some sort of annual event, like a cookout or a barbecue, to bring the town together to talk about black culture and what she sees as systemic racism.

Nothing is definite, Bailey said, but the event could incorporate activities similar to those that typically take place on Juneteenth, which celebrates the anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation in U.S. history. Juneteenth celebrations often include games, prayer services, parades and street fairs.

The event may happen soon, or they will push it to next year, Bailey said.

After receiving so much backlash, Bailey said the situation now feels very promising. Other community leaders said the protests and the potential follow-up event will be a positive step for the town.

“I will certainly make it a priority to show support and use social media to promote it,” said Marilee Kessler, organizations chair of the Vandergrift Improvement Program. “I think it’s really important for people to use that for speaking up to say what they believe.”

Kessler also attended the protest, which she called “inspirational.” Protesters with signs and posters were chanting “Black lives matter” and other slogans, while people passed around water bottles and refreshments.

One Vandergrift resident passed out homemade chicken wraps, and another brought 12 pizzas from Ianni’s Pizza, nearby. Children doodled on the sidewalk with chalk. When the protesters began to march around the town, Kessler said many residents came out onto their porches to cheer and show support.

“There was such a perceptible feeling of support between and among the people who were there,” Kessler said. “It was very nice to be there.”

Elijah Davis, 24, has lived in Vandergrift since he was 7 or 8 years old. He said he was skeptical any protests would happen last week, after reading so many negative comments online. He said the mood at the march was a huge “contrast” to the things he saw on the internet.

Davis said he was glad Vandergrift participated in a national movement like this one. While the small town often holds communitywide events, he said they are rarely political in nature.

“I think that people really need to spread awareness to racism,” Davis said. “A lot of people don’t even question or realize they might have subtle racism in themselves. It’s good to just bring awareness all around, not just to bigger places like Minneapolis and Pittsburgh.”

Davis and other protesters said they were disappointed that so many businesses felt the need to fortify their shops before the demonstrations could even begin. Bailey said it felt like they didn’t have any trust in the youths of their own town.

But now that a time has passed since her original plan was called off — since her phone was flooded with threats of violence, racist comments and general disapproval, Bailey said she feels nothing but relief.

It feels like the town has taken a step forward, Bailey said, like maybe the protest has opened peoples’ eyes. She said that on social media, a lot of people commented that they were glad the demonstrations went well.

“I feel great right now,” Bailey said. “I feel like these ideas we’re tossing around are going to happen soon.”