Demetrius H’ro is a local spoken word artist who marched at the Justice for Terrance rally on May 31. Terrance Franklin was a 22-year-old who was shot and killed by Minneapolis police on May 10.
H’ro attended the rally because he wants to help “start a movement” against institutionalized racism and police brutality, especially toward black men, he said.
“I’m in a system that’s trying to effeminate me as a black man and take away my inner power. You notice it in subtle ways that you deal with police, or maybe a job interview,” he explained. “The murder of Terrance [Franklin] is just another part underneath that entire umbrella called ‘racism,’ which is raining down on all of us people of color.”
H’ro added, “It’s a part of a problem that’s affecting me and other people of my skin color and anyone that is a victim of systematic racism.” He ends with a powerful message to Minneapolis police and other authorities he sees as hiding behind institutional racism.
Related stories:
• Protesters demand justice for Terrance Franklin, police prosecution
• OUR STORIES | Willie Walton: “He didn’t deserve to die like a dog.”
• OUR STORIES | Taharra Patterson: Terrance Franklin “could have been my child”
Reporting for this article supported in part by Bush Foundation.
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