The chants of “I can’t breathe” and “black lives matter” could be heard loud and clear in downtown Danville Sunday afternoon as at least 300 people marched to demand police accountability following the death of George Floyd, an African-American man, by Minneapolis, Minnesota police last Monday.
The crowd was fairly diverse, with both whites and blacks marching down Vermilion Street and ending with a rally in front of the Public Safety Building.
Community organizer Mary Catherine Roberson was one of the speakers at Sunday’s rally. She says people’s lives matter no matter the circumstances.
“Whether they were an angel or not, their lives mattered. We’re not going to leave our black men on the street. We will not be judge, jury and executioner for our black men when they break the law.”
Danville Mayor Rickey Williams Jr. became emotional during his remarks. The city’s first African American mayor says the rally is just the start, and people must take action because of it.
“If we march and we go home and we feel good about ourselves, because ‘Oh, look, we were all together!’ it will have been in vain. The question is, what are you going to do next? As I said earlier, are you going to stop the racist jokes and comments not only in your family, but how about this, in your workplace?”
Unlike many of the rallies nationwide, Sunday’s rally in Danville was peaceful and nonviolent.
