The Oakland chapter of Black Lives Matter has declined an invitation to participate in a barbecue with the local police department, with one protester explaining, “I eat pigs, I don’t eat with them.”
The department came up with the idea after a similar cookout in Wichita, Kansas, met with success on Tuesday. That event replaced a planned protest after police officials proposed the idea.
The response has been different in California, where protesters on Wednesday chained themselves to the doors of the Oakland Police Officers’ Association. Karissa Lewis, a self-described “radical black farmer” associated with the movement, explained the group’s position to local Fox affiliate KTVU. “Barbecues aren’t going to stop the brutality that black folks are facing,” Lewis said. “A barbecue is definitely not going to stop this blockade. And as a radical-black farmer from East Oakland, I eat pigs. I don’t eat with them.”
Most of the protesters “seemed to be in agreement” with Lewis, KTVU reported, though Oakland police said the offer remained open.
