AMHERST — In promotional materials for a school walkout set for Tuesday in solidarity with youths whose interaction with police officers in Amherst on the morning of July 5 has been well publicized, a raised fist is depicted, along with the phrases “solidarity with Amherst 9” and “no justice, no peace.”
Organized by Sunrise Amherst, the Progressive Coalition of Amherst and Defund413 Amherst, publicity for the walkout is continuing use of the term “Amherst Nine” as shorthand for the teenagers, six of whom identify as members of the Black, Indigenous and people of color, or BIPOC community, who are part of a 54-second cellphone video showing a police officer telling them they have no rights.
As a member of the Progressive Coalition and representative for the youth and their families, Pat Ononibaku says the decision to call the youths the “Amherst Nine” is about making an explicit connection between what happened in Amherst over the summer to the Central Park Five, the Black and Latino youths who in 1989 were accused of and then convicted of the rape of a white woman, a crime for which they were later exonerated.
“It’s all about criminalization of kids of color,” Ononibaku says. “We are comparing what happened in Amherst to what happened in New York.”
While this may be the point they are making, an elected member of the Amherst Town Council and a physician and artist active in voting rights are questioning whether it is appropriate to evoke the memory of numerous individuals who have faced racism over the years.
Anika Lopes, who represents District 4, and Dr. Shirley Jackson Whitaker issued a statement this week that it is not accurate to compare the Amherst situation to the Little Rock Nine, the first African American high school students to attend Little Rock Central High School in 1957, or the Scottsboro Boys, nine Black youth accused of rape in 1931.
“It is profoundly disrespectful for anyone to use this association so loosely,” Lopes and Jackson Whitaker said in their joint statement. “It’s traumatic to witness these civil rights pioneers’ mistreatment made light of by a sensationalized comparison. It’s harmful and offensive to watch a misrepresentation of history that appropriates their pain for gain.”
Both Jackson Whitaker and Lopes identify as descendants of African American enslaved people, adding that they are “deeply disheartened” by the use of the term coined to identify the diverse group of nine youths involved in the incident on July 5. The interaction came as a police response to a noise complaint and, because the youths couldn’t drive home due to the late hour, officers contacted their parents and guardians to ensure they got home safely.
The town’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion director, Pamela Nolan Young, has concluded that the police actions that day were not an abuse of authority, though she did note than an officer misspoke when telling the teens they had no rights.
“Our concern is with individuals giving the impression that what occurred on July 5 in Amherst is equivalent to the mistreatment and torture suffered by the African Americans of the ‘Scottsboro 9’ and ‘Little Rock 9,’” Jackson Whitaker and Lopes said.
Ononibaku, though, said she is comfortable using the term “Amherst Nine,” and that while she has great respect for Lopes and Jackson Whitaker as community leaders for racial equity, their argument is minimizing the racial discrimination people encounter in town.
“This is a distraction to what we’re facing, and I humbly disagree with them,” Ononibaku said. “The pain for these youths and families is real. It’s taking a toll on their lives.”
Aside from the term being used, Lopes and Jackson Whitaker said they appreciate what is being done to advocate for families.
“We have no issue with people who stand up for their rights or the rights of others they feel have been violated,” they wrote. “We encourage and support the right to do so.”
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com