Protesters 'refuse to settle for a few kumbaya moments,' reconvene in Dallas 3 weeks after shootings

Just three weeks after five police officers were killed in a sniper-style ambush in Dallas at a protest against police brutality, organizers of that protest held another in the same city, with one speaker saying that blacks “refuse to settle for a few kumbaya moments.”

Pastor Frederick Haynes: "We refuse to settle for a few kumbaya moments and then go back to what we were doing." pic.twitter.com/bLDkyLkeiT

— Marc Ramirez (@typewriterninja) July 30, 2016

Haynes: "We're not just going to clean out the spider webs; we're going after the spider. And that is racial injustice."

— Marc Ramirez (@typewriterninja) July 30, 2016

Too soon?

https://twitter.com/TheGMShow/status/759162615176138752

Next Generation Action Network plans a peaceful protest in downtown Dallas tonight. Some say it's too soon. Agree?

— ???? ????? (@SaulGarzaMedia) July 29, 2016

Activists certainly didn’t think it was too soon, and the protest went on as scheduled Friday night, although at a much smaller scale.

Rally/protest in downtown Dallas is underway. pic.twitter.com/Mh2ycABlvI

— Vernon Bryant (@vernonbryant) July 30, 2016

Beginning of rally/protest against police brutality in downtown Dallas. pic.twitter.com/RVCQxZx3Qt

— Vernon Bryant (@vernonbryant) July 30, 2016

Next Generation Action Network protest march in #Dallas, 3 wks after fatal police shooting rocked city pic.twitter.com/v78h86NJRu

— emilyschmall (@emilyschmall) July 30, 2016

It’s been strange few weeks, to be certain. President Obama cut short his European tour to speak at a memorial service in Dallas in hopes of bringing people together, but then turned the service into a lecture on gun control and racism, saying that “none of us are entirely innocent” when it comes to racial discrimination … “and this includes our police departments.”

Then, this week at the Democratic National Convention, the party tried to walk a fine line by featuring both law enforcement and “The Mothers of the Movement” — a line that was crossed when a moment of silence for fallen police officers was interrupted by shouts of “black lives matter!”

So, which of those was the kumbaya moment?

please pray for all the Dallas Police Officers as they attend another black lives matter protest?

— honey B? (@breannenikolle) July 30, 2016

To their credit, organizers of the protest march asked for a moment of silence for the fallen officers that went more smoothly than the attempt at the DNC.

We're stopped at Main and Market (sidewalk). Protest leader Dominique Alexander is talking about officers who protected civilians on July 7.

— Naheed Rajwani (@naheedrajwani) July 30, 2016

Alexander: "I know that everyone has different faiths and beliefs. I just want to do a prayer for the lives that were lost here."

— Naheed Rajwani (@naheedrajwani) July 30, 2016

Dallas protest host @NextGenAction pres. @niquealex leading prayer: "we remember the life that was lost here" pic.twitter.com/5SWjeCKDtD

— Dallas Weekly (@dallasweekly) July 30, 2016

One tenacious counter-protester and Donald Trump supporter, unlike one-time presidential candidate Martin O’Malley, refused to apologize for insisting that “all lives matter.”

Protester shouting it's too soon to protest in Dallas pic.twitter.com/rLpPtx4CyM

— Rebecca Lopez (@rlopezwfaa) July 30, 2016

DALLAS PROTEST: Man following police brutality protestors yelling, "All lives matter." pic.twitter.com/seqTbtk609

— FOX 4 NEWS (@FOX4) July 30, 2016

Protest in Dallas tonight #BlackLivesMatter #BlueLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/yrqJ3RQncf

— Spencer Vilicic (@_quence_) July 30, 2016

By all accounts, the protest ended peacefully this time, with the biggest challenge to police being keeping marchers on the sidewalk and out of the street.

Majority of protesters on sidewalk. Some in street but other protesters are telling them to get off: "Work together" pic.twitter.com/aPxscth4SY

— Naheed Rajwani (@naheedrajwani) July 30, 2016

The police brutality protest was peaceful but some say it was too soon to have another protest in downtown Dallas. https://t.co/7R9UzANZm6

— Jenny Anchondo (@JennyAnchondoTV) July 30, 2016

Police, of course, were on hand to keep the peace, and even the five slain officers quietly maintained their watch over the city, in a sense.