Peaceful Protestors hold march and rally in Stuart Florida

Peaceful Protestors hold march and rally in Stuart Florida

Stuart, Fl (TreasureCoast.com)- Protesters marched across the Roosevelt Bridge on Sunday afternoon as a show of solidarity for black lives. The protest was peaceful — a stark contrast to the protests that took place throughout the country in response to the death of George Floyd, the Minnesota man who died after a police officer placed his knee on the man’s neck for nearly nine minutes.

Protesters held signs and chanted “no justice, no peace” and “black lives matter.” One sign read, “Don’t kill us then ask for peace.”

https://www.facebook.com/jennie.pawlowsky/videos/10222880458259925/

Before crossing the bridge, the protesters gathered to listen to church leaders and other speakers, including Denver Broncos safety Justin Simmons.

“Anyone that doesn’t know who I am, my name is Justin Simmons. I’m a product of Port Salerno, Florida. I currently play in the NFL, but that is not who I am. I am a bi-racial human being. My dad is black, my mom is white, I understand the pain that both sides are dealing with. Racism is not one-sided, it goes all across the border,” Simmons concluded. “I am here for equality, let’s make sure we represent that today.”

 

https://www.facebook.com/jennie.pawlowsky/videos/10222880458259925/

Simmons, who grew up in Port Salerno, preached unity and called for justice, not only for Floyd, but for all those whose lives have been cut short because of racism and hate. He said Floyd’s death is the result of “300 and more years that we have been oppressed from the system.”

The Roosevelt Bridge is an unofficial meeting place for protests especially in the clean water movement.

Video and photo credit: Jennie Pawlowsky

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  • Posted 4 years ago

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