06 Oct
Protest for Mike Brown at St. Louis Symphony #RequiemforMikeBrown
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Stunning, Creative, Effective Protest for Mike Brown at St. Louis Symphony #RequiemforMikeBrown
By jardin32
Requiem for Mike Brown
Last night, right before the Brahms Requiem at Powell Symphony Hall in St. Louis, brave singers stood up, and sang “Which Side are you on?” for Mike Brown, unfurling banners from the balcony, and at the end, before walking out chanting “Black Lives Matter!!”, showered the main floor with paper hearts with the phrase, “Requiem for Mike Brown” on them.
This is some seriously creative protesting. I had friends in both the audience as well as on stage.
attribution: None Specified
From the St Louis American
Just after intermission, about 50 people interrupted the St. Louis Symphony’s performance of Brahms Requiem on Saturday night, singing “Justice for Mike Brown.”As symphony conductor Markus Stenz raised his baton to begin the second act of German Requiem, one middle-aged African-American man stood up in the middle of the theater and sang, “What side are you on friend, what side are you on?”
In an operatic voice, another woman located a few rows away stood up and joined him singing, “Justice for Mike Brown is justice for us all.” Several more audience members sprinkled throughout the theater and in the balcony rose up and joined in the singing.
An Addition:
From the ST Louis Post DispatchThe orchestra and chorus were preparing to perform Johannes Brahms’ Requiem just after intermission when two audience members in the middle aisle on the main floor began singing an old civil rights tune, “Which Side are You on?” They soon were joined, in harmony, by other protesters, who stood at seats in various locations on the main floor and in the balcony.
And additional update Thanks from Just Bob in the comments.
Washington PostThe group was surprised by the response, said Derek Laney, an organizer for Missourians Organizing for Reform and Empowerment. Instead of being ushered out in handcuffs by police, some patrons of the symphony — and some symphony members themselves — applauded the tuneful message. The group left on their own after about a minute and a half of singing, while they chanted “Blacks Lives Matter.”“It went to show that there are people among that crowd who think that the protests matter and that it’s not okay to just kill black children, and they’d be receptive to hear that message,” Laney said. “It was a perfect moment. As we left, people were smiling and reaching out to shake our hands.”
