More than 1,000 marchers took part in what organizers called a rally for unity on Sunday in downtown Mount Airy.
The event was one of many marches and protests being held around the nation since the Memorial Day death of George Floyd, whose death at the hands of three Minneapolis, Minnesota, police officers has sparked national outrage. A video shot by a bystander shows Floyd, who was born in North Carolina, with his hands cuffed behind his back, held down by three officers, one of whom had his knees pressed against the back of Floyd’s neck as Floyd pleaded that he couldn’t breathe.
The video lasted almost nine minutes, and shows that even after Floyd appears to have passed out and become non-responsive, the officer continued holding his knee to Floyd’s neck.
In contrast to many protests around the nation accompanied by tension and violence, Sunday’s Mount Airy march and vigil was marked by calm. Organized by city resident Alexius Lipot, those marching carried signs that read “Black lives matter” and “Enough is enough” and “If you have a skin problem, you have a sin problem.”
Speakers, at times fiery, at other times emotional, called on those gathered to be the beginning of change in America, to demand that all people be treated equally and fairly. The speakers decried the violence that has rocked America — both the violence perpetrated by rioters and violence employed by some police and the president against innocent protesters, They encouraged those in the crowd to be the agents of change, but to do so peacefully. At the center of the tension in the nation is the specter of racism, which several speakers said has haunted American for generations.
A full report from Sunday’s unity protest will appear in the Tuesday edition of The Mount Airy News.
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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