Teens Killed In Pond 'Kids Not Criminals,' Protesters Say

• Protesters took to the streets Thursday to raise awareness about the deaths of three St. Petersburg teenagers in March. Those present for the #SayHerName National Day of Action rally said they want to change the narrative about the girls. Photo courtesy of Tori Wegner/Advancement Project.

LARGO, FL — Protesters took to the streets Thursday in hopes of changing the narrative surrounding the three St. Petersburg teenagers who died in a pond in March.

Chanting, “I believe that we will win,” and “We have nothing to lose but our chains,” the group blocked traffic for a few minutes along Ulmerton Road and Seminole Boulevard before they were moved onto the sidewalk by Pinellas County Sheriff’s deputies.

Just one of many #SayHerName National Day of Action events planned across the country, the Pinellas County protest was staged to “change the narrative” related to the deaths of Dominique Battle, 16, Ashaunti Butler, 15, and Laniya Miller, 15, organizers said. The three girls were inside a stolen Honda Accord that crashed into a pond on the property of Royal Palm Cemetery March 31.

The death of the three girls has sparked controversy as some say Pinellas deputies didn’t do enough to save them after the crash. While Sheriff Bob Gualtieri has said his deputies followed the car that had been reported stolen, others have contended the vehicle was chased.

Gualtieri contends his deputies followed protocol that evening. Many, including Battle’s mother, and the International People’s Democratic Uhuru Movement say otherwise. Yashica Clemmons, Battle’s mother, has announced plans to file a wrongful death suit.

Protesters on Thursday told media outlets they wanted answers.

Deputies involved in the March 31 incident have said the Accord the girls were in was not chased. One video released by the sheriff’s office shows a patrol car going 93 mph.

Some concerned about the deaths have also raised questions about whether the deputies did enough to free the girls from the car after it plunged into the water. The sheriff says his deputies tried, but had to turn around due to unsafe conditions.

Pinellas County Commissioner Ken Welch went out to the cemetery in April to gauge the conditions for himself. He took a video camera along and recorded himself trying to wade into the pond where the girls died.

“The video below shows me sinking into the muck on my first step,” Welch wrote on Facebook following his experiment.

One of Thursday’s event organizers explained the protest was also staged to help change the narrative related to the three girls.

“They were kids, not criminals,” the woman was recorded saying.

The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office has said all three girls had criminal histories. Battle had an active warrant at the time of her death, according to a March 31 email from the sheriff’s office. She had also been arrested nine times in the past on charges ranging from residential burglary to vehicle theft.

Butler, also had active warrants. Her arrest record included five past arrests, including resisting arrest and vehicle theft charges. Miller’s criminal history was less lengthy. She had one arrest in March 2015 for vehicle theft, the email said.

At the time of the girls’ deaths, Gualtieri spoke out about the “epidemic” of auto thefts in the community and the need to curb juvenile crime.

"Solutions need to come deep from within the community,” he said. “Kids need to know there are consequences. This is a systematic and complex problem. Three dead teenagers is not acceptable.”

Thursday’s protest coincided with the #SayHerName National Day of Action. Events similar to the one staged in Pinellas County were planned across the country.

“On this day, we are standing in solidarity with all Black women (cis and trans), girls, and femmes in efforts to shed light on the abuse that they endure under systems of anti-black misogyny,” Black Lives Matter wrote on its Facebook page. “Seeing the lives of Black and Brown folks being treated without regard at an alarming rate in this country and throughout the world continues to prove why it is imperative we lift up these names on the path to getting us all free.”