Phillip Hawkins Jr. hoped the energy he saw Sunday in downtown Norfolk continues into the future.
“We have to organize,” he said near the Martin Luther King Memorial. “We have to do this right to make systemic change so we’re not here again.”
Sunday marked the third day of protests and rallies in Hampton Roads in response to the death of George Floyd, who pleaded for help as a police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes. In Virginia Beach, Black Lives Matter 757 held a protest at the boardwalk; and in Newport News, several clergy members organized panels and discussions on subjects of race and violence.
The effort in Norfolk brought demonstrators from the memorial, down Brambleton Avenue to the federal courthouse and post office building. Community organizations Stop the Violence Team, Stop the Violence Guns Down and Organizing Ourselves United led the march, which drew hundreds of people.
From the beginning, organizers were clear violence and destruction would not be tolerated, and the protest and march proceeded peacefully. Police officers blocked traffic from Brambleton Avenue and Granby Street during the march and did not prevent the crowd from moving as it pleased.
Speakers took on the tone of preachers, sharing messages of love. However, they also said change required action, and they could not just rely on the government to make changes itself. They pushed for people to make change through their votes and through advocating for just causes and reforms to police policies. The crowd shared the names of people in Norfolk who were shot by police officers, such as Isaiah Swift.
Bilal Muhammad, one of the organizers, called for police chiefs to formally denounce any form of “silent code” in which officers may not report their colleagues of wrongdoing.
Standing on the steps of the federal building on Granby, Bernard Thompson, another organizer, told members of the crowd to go home and think about what they could do to fight injustice.
Hawkins, a Norfolk teacher, said that mindset is essential to progress. He said sometimes it seems society has regressed from the progress made in past battles for civil rights and equality. Maintaining the fight is essential to preserving what they achieve, he said. He planned to engage with local officials and demand they pay attention to the people protesting.
In the crowd, people carried signs and chanted the refrains that were repeated across the country in the wake of the deaths of unarmed black people at the hands of police. “I can’t breathe.” “No justice, no peace.” “Black lives matter.”
JaDazia Stanifer of Chesapeake carried her art, a portrait of Floyd. She said she’s painted portraits following similar incidents, but this was the first time she participated in a protest. Seeing the crowd made her feel hopeful that the movement sweeping the country in recent days would not just blow over.
After the march, organizers handed out food and drinks during a cookout at the Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza. Several protesters remained at the memorial, holding up signs and chanting as police officers observed from their cars.
Newport News
Peninsula pastors hosted a community rally on Sunday focused on how communities can make change happen following George Floyd’s death.
Sponsored by the Coalition of Concerned Clergy, the event called “Pause in Place to Speak with Power in Peace for Justice” gave elected officials and church leaders time to speak about violence and justice. The crowd that gathered spread out in the parking lot and sidewalk of Zion Baptist Church.
Police Chief Steve Drew also spoke, apologizing for any negative interactions with police. He said officers are human and make mistakes, so he couldn’t promise officer-involved violence would never happened.
But he pledged to seek best practices, involve the community in forming policy and conducting reviews and to be accountable when officers make mistakes.
Pastors said they felt angry, but it was important to squash that anger with love and remember that all people are valued. Rashard Cartwright of Experience Life Church said people across the country are mourning as they protest, calling their actions agitation.
“They called Martin Luther King an agitator,” he said.
