It was the ninth – and by far the largest – day of demonstrations demanding justice for George Floyd, the black Minneapolis man who died after …
It was the ninth – and by far the largest – day of demonstrations demanding justice for George Floyd, the black Minneapolis man who died after a white police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes, and the many other black victims of police abuse.
« It’s awesome – it’s a long time coming, » said Stefani Jackson,52, a psychotherapist and social worker from Rockville, Maryland. « People have had enough – black, white and brown. »
« Whether he knows what to do and what not to do, it doesn’t matter. So it’s important for me to be down here today, » Cuthbert said.
In another part of the city, Randy Talley,58, a producer at a Washington marketing firm, held aloft a sign that read: « Silence is no longer golden. »
“I could no longer sit on the sidelines, watching on TV,” said Tally, who is white and said he typically doesn’t attend protests. Next to him was Jeighdeane King, a 46-year-old native of West Virginia with a “Hillbillies support Black Lives Matters » placard.
King, who now lives in Washington, said she’s been horrified by the accounts of African Americans being killed at the hands of police. But she was heartened by Saturday’s massive turnout.
“It restores some of my faith in humanity,” King said.
Tanya Samuels-Johnson,52, an IT specialist said she wants to see a « peaceful revolution” in race relations. « It’s time for a change, » she said.
« We felt we needed to be a part of this history, » said her husband, Duane Johnson,56, a claims supervisor from Denton, Maryland.
People marched into downtown from Washington’s suburbs, and the city buzzed with a festive energy, a contrast to a gathering on Sunday night where some activists clashed with police and looters smashed up local businesses – leading to mass arrests. There was no sign of that on Saturday, as protesters sang, danced and chanted. Even if protesters were not celebrating, the tension that had marked earlier demonstrations was not evident.
Morgan Hubbard,13, said she came out to protest because « it really matters to me how the future turns out. »
« I can’t help but think ‘Am I next?’ and I don’t want that to happen, » she said. « I don’t want my little brother to be next, he’s seven years old. »
On 16th Street, a main city artery, music blared and waves of people marched through a sea of demonstrators.
