Last Friday, several representatives from Black Lives Matter chapters testified in support of important legislation before the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee.

I represented Black Lives Matter Nashua as an organizer in support of HB 564 – a bill that was drafted in response to our demand to ban the use of tear gas and rubber bullets on unarmed demonstrators by law enforcement.

The New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police sent several of its members to testify in opposition to this legislation, essentially claiming that if tear gas and rubber bullets were banned, officers would have no choice but to fire live ammunition into crowds of peaceful demonstrators instead. One Nashua sergeant testifying on their behalf even went as far as to compare BLM protesters to the terrorists who stormed the United States Capitol, stating that if tear gas had been used instead of live ammunition, domestic terrorist Ashli Babbitt might still be alive today.

During my testimony, I spoke in defense of the thousands of peaceful demonstrators who were gassed or shot with projectiles by police departments across the country last spring and summer. I highlighted the realities of unarmed organizers and allies who experienced chemical burns, loss of eyesight, permanent bodily harm and even death at the hands of state-sanctioned violence. I called out the casual racism of those in the hearing who approached this legislation with obvious disregard and contempt.

Throughout the hearing, committee members laughed at, condescended to and repeatedly attempted to silence my testimony. I was treated with outright hostility and disrespect for advocating for our communities.

To make matters worse, a representative who laughed at my testimony went on Facebook during the hearing to further antagonize Black Lives Matter. Representative Gary Hopper of Hillsborough-2 called my testimony “ridiculous” and agreed with a commenter who referred to BLM as a “communist, terrorist organization.”

This kind of behavior is unacceptable from anyone, especially members of our state legislature. Our organizers deserve to be treated with basic human dignity and the state representatives on this committee must be held accountable.

New Hampshire is not innocent. White supremacy is alive and well in our state legislature. It is incumbent on all of us to call it out when we see it, and to amplify the voices of marginalized people who are most affected by it.

We refuse to be silenced.

Jordan Thompson is director of Black Lives Matter Nashua.

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