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Solange Knowles Tweets From the Baton Rouge Protests: ‘We All Left Feeling Uplifted’

Solange Knowles
Solange Knowles attends a private dinner hosted by Michael Kors on June 22, 2016 in London, England.David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images

Lending her support. Solange Knowles headed to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Sunday, July 10, to march in protests against police brutality, specifically in the death of Alton Sterling there last week.

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Sterling was shot and killed by police on Tuesday, July 5, while he was selling homemade CDs and DVDs outside a convenience store. The same week, Philando Castile was killed during a traffic stop in Falcon Heights, Minnesota, and five police officers were killed by a sniper during protests in Dallas. Seven officers and two civilians were wounded in the attack.

Knowles, who calls New Orleans home, tweeted about her experience at the demonstration, which according to social media photos, she attended with her husband, Alan Ferguson. The 30-year-old musician described how the peaceful protesters were intimidated by the Baton Rouge police, who wore head-to-toe riot gear and carried assault rifles. Many protesters were detained and arrested throughout the weekend for refusing to clear the streets, as seen in the powerful viral image of a woman facing off against the armor-clad police.

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“Protesters/marchers have been nothing but peaceful today in Baton Rouge. Police are here pulling out tear gas while children are around,” Knowles wrote on Sunday.

While she was inspired by her fellow protesters, the “Sandcastle Disco” singer was critical of the police presence at the rally site. “Most of the march/protest speakers in Baton Rouge were all under 17 years old… We all left feeling uplifted….,” she wrote on Twitter. “Yet as I walked back to my car I personally saw @BRPD pulling huge assault rifles out on peaceful protesters.”

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Over the weekend, Solange offered her support on Twitter for DeRay Mckesson, a well-known Black Lives Matter activist who was arrested during the Baton Rouge protests. After his release, Solange appeared in a GIF on his Twitter account. “@solangeknowles and Alan, thanks for stopping by today, bringing love & joy,” Mckesson captioned it.

Solange’s sister, Beyoncé, also wrote about the recent police shootings in an essay on her website on July 7. “This is a fight for anyone who feels marginalized, who is struggling for freedom and human rights,” she wrote in the passionate post. The Lemonade songstress stopped for a moment of silence during her Glasgow concert to remember the victims of police brutality. 

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