Confederate battle flags flew in front of the NAACP office in Houston during a “White Lives Matter” protest.
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Black Lives Matter wants to bring awareness to these wrongful deaths by peaceful protests, which have been shut down numerous times by police enforcement.
One of the members of the group told the Houston Chronicle that the protest was held because the NAACP has failed to address the actions of groups like Black Lives Matter and other pro-black organizations.
But Reed, who donned a Donald Trump 16′ red cap, said protesters were only exercising their Second Amendment rights by carrying weapons to “defend” themselves and were not there to “start any problems”.
The protest took place in Houston’s Third Ward; police arrived and barricaded the White Lives Matter group.
Sunday happened to be Houston NAACP executive director Yolanda Smith’s birthday, and her son Andre took to Instagram to share his take on the protest. With confederate flag banners in tow and some even equipped with assault rifles, the group openly criticized the NAACP and called for an end to the fight against police brutality targeting African-Americans.
Ashton P. Woods of Black Lives Matter: Houston speaks out against the white supremacists’ rally alongside NAACP – Houston President Dr. James Douglas, left, and U.S. Congressman Al Green. Their organizations and their people are shooting people based on the color of their skin.
Richardson was not the only resident confused and offended by the protesters’ presence.
Counter-protesters argued with the hate-fueled horde until cops came in and cleared out the crowd around 3:30 p.m.
Reed claimed that the flags were a symbol of Southern heritage and had nothing to do with racism.
“We expect every race to be proud of who they are, and we’re just out there fighting for our rights just like everybody should”, Reed told KRIV.
“Guns & confederate flags won’t protect black, white, any or all lives”.
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“We’ve always been in support of the Black Lives Matter movement”.
