Norwalk Resident will protest today; speaks on community racism

NORWALK — Come noon today, Melanie "Monique" Grandberry will stand outside Norwalk Municipal Court to protest the police brutality and inequality in America. Grandberry will chant to protest the killing of George Floyd, the unarmed black man killed by a Minnesota police officer on May 25. She'll chant for David McAtee, who was killed by Louisville police June 1. And she'll chant for her three sons — Michael, Maurice and Marco Ruiz — who she worries about suffering the same fate. "It might not do much," Grandberry said, "but I just want to be part of the voices out there speaking. I'm not in a big city or anything where there are any protests that I can go to, but I want to be one of the voices out there trying to make a difference. I still want to do my part." Grandberry grew up hearing stories of racism in Norwalk. She said her grandmother's neighbors burned a cross across the street from her grandmother's Willard Avenue home. When she had children, she moved them out of Norwalk after hearing people call them racial slurs. And when she moved back to Norwalk nine months ago, she said she was reminded of the racial tension her hometown is still managing. Somebody at Bluto's recently told her she was "pretty for a black woman." "I don't know if I just forgot how racist Norwalk was or what," Grandberry said. "But the nine months I've been back have been horrible. They have no problem saying stuff to my face when I'm not looking at them or talking to them. They're just bold with it." "Why pretty for a black woman. Why can't you just say, 'You're pretty."' When Grandberry first posted about her protest on the "Real Talk of Norwalk" Facebook group, she was pleasantly surprised to see several commenters planning to join her. She was also disheartened by one man's comment that she should leave Norwalk. Grandberry's post amassed more than 200 comments but has since been removed. Comments like that are another reason why Grandberry will protest today — peacefully, though she understands why some protestors have chosen more aggressive protest methods. "If somebody shoots my son dead, I'm gonna burn down the city too," she said. She especially worries about Maurice, who suffers from Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) and Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD). The latter makes him argumentative. Grandberry said Maurice is harmless, but she knows other people might not see him that way. "When somebody sees him as an angry black man, they're going to immediately think violence from him," she said. "That's not what it is. He's mentally challenged. They're not going to see that." She hopes they'll see her protesting today, though. She hopes they'll consider the reasons why. And for those who don't understand the protests, Grandberry has some advice. "Ask me a story about what I've been through, what I'm going through in Norwalk," she said. "We have no reason to lie about what we're going through. "Listen and try to understand where we're coming from."