While much of the nation was focused on the pro-Trayvon Martin “protests” (practically riots) in Los Angeles and Oakland on Monday, demonstrators in Houston resorted to violence as they rallied for “justice for Trayvon.”
The demonstrators in Houston on Monday evening successfully blocked traffic on a highway overpass and the road below. A woman, badly in need of getting her 7-year-old granddaughter to the hospital due to an allergic reaction, found herself at the mercy of the rowdy protesters.
People participate in a demonstration led by activist Quanell X, local community leaders and hip-hop stars in reaction to the acquittal of neighborhood watch member George Zimmerman Monday, July 15, 2013, in Houston. Credit: AP
Friends try to calm down, David Wright, top, who reacted after he was told he couldn’t enter the Bob Casey Federal Courthouse in Houston as more than 100 protestors organized outside for a protest in reaction to the acquittal of neighborhood watch member George Zimmerman Tuesday, July 16, 2013. Credit: AP
People participate in a demonstration led by activist Quanell X, local community leaders and hip-hop stars in reaction to the acquittal of neighborhood watch member George Zimmerman Monday, July 15, 2013, in Houston. Credit: AP
“I looked up and I see all the protesters, they’re everywhere…So, we got into the traffic and they’re stopping us and not letting us go,” the woman, who only identified herself as Georgia, told KPRC-TV.
Georgia’s daughter, who was driving the car when the incident occurred, first attempted to go around the protesters by driving on the grassy shoulder, but the crowd would not let them pass.
“One of them was hitting the windshield and I was just screaming, ‘We’ve got to get to the hospital,’ and they were screaming and chanting,” Georgia’s daughter said. “All I could think of was, I got to get my granddaughter to the hospital.”
That’s when Georgia rolled down the window to reason with the frenzied protesters. They responded by assaulting her.
“She said, ‘We’re trying to get my granddaughter to the hospital,’ and a guy just started hitting her,” her daughter recalled.
In the video shot by KPRC-TV, the crowd is clearly seen blocking their vehicle. The video also clearly shows a man reaching into the car and grabbing her. Georgia is certain she was hit by the man.
Here is a screengrab of the incident:
“It wasn’t peaceful,” she said. “It was terrifying.”
But according to Quanell X, the “community activist” who organized the protest, the demonstration was peaceful. He was also kind enough to encourage participants not to break any laws or hurt anyone.