Washington unites for peaceful “Black Lives Matter” rally
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
A crowd of nearly 400 demonstrators marched through Washington Saturday.
Mark Marietta
Mark Marietta/for the Observer-Reporter
Local law enforcement watches from a distance as people gather at the corner of Beau and Main streets in Washington on the morning of June 6 for a rally sparked by police aggression.
/Mark Marietta/for the Observer-Reporter
Protesters in front of the Washington County Courthouse on the morning of June 6 pay tribute to the memory of George Floyd by sitting in silence for eight minutes and forty-six seconds, the length of time Floyd was reportedly forcibly restrained by Minneapolis police.
/Mark Marietta/for the Observer-Reporter
Kurt Adkins, one of the event organizers, sits silently with protesters in front of the Washington County Courthouse as they remember George Floyd on the morning of June 6.
Mark Marietta
Mark Marietta/for the Observer-Reporter
Protesters made a peaceful march from the Washington County Courthouse on the morning of June 6. Organizers planned the event in the wake of unrest over the death of George Floyd in police custody.
Mark Marietta
Mark Marietta/for the Observer-Reporter
Protesters make their way along College Street as they march from the Courthouse on the morning of June 6. Among those leading the march is City of Washington Chief of Police, Bob Wilson.
Mark Marietta
Mark Marietta/for the Observer-Reporter
Josh Locy, far left, who is openly carrying weapons, joins the march of protesters at the corner of Main and Wheeling streets on the morning of June 6.
/Mark Marietta/for the Observer-Reporter
Protesters stand in peaceful solidarity at the close of the rally in front of the Washington County Courthouse June 6.
Mark Marietta
Mark Marietta/for the Observer-Reporter
Ruthie Blackmon closes the event with prayer as the protest in front of the Washington County Courthouse concludes on June 6.
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Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Protesters comfort each other at the peaceful event held in front of the Washington County Courthouse Saturday.
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Canon-McMillan High School student Brianna King speaks to the crowd of protesters in front of the Washington County Courthouse Saturday, encouraging them to end racial prejudice in their schools.
A large group of peaceful protesters sat or kneeled in silence for eight minutes and 46 seconds Saturday on Main Street in Washington, the time it took a Minneapolis police officer to allegedly kill a black man, spurring a spate of rallies from small towns to large cities nationwide.
The crowd of nearly 400 people then marched through the city chanting, “black lives matter here,” before making a circle back at Main Street near the county courthouse.
“This is not just a black problem. This is an American problem. Social injustice touches everybody,” said Andrew Goudy, president of the Washington branch of the NAACP.
Mark Marietta
Mark Marietta
Mark Marietta/for the Observer-Reporter
Protesters at the corner of Main and Beau Streets on the morning of June 6 pay tribute to the memory of George Floyd by sitting in silence for eight minutes and forty-six seconds, the length of time Floyd was reportedly forcibly restrained by Minneapolis police.
The community gathered for the second time in two weeks to protest racial injustice. This demonstration and others come in the wake of George Floyd’s May 25 death in Minneapolis while a police officer kneeled on his neck. An onlooker captured the incident on video, and the officer, Derek Chauvin, kept Floyd, 46, pinned to the street, even after Floyd said he could not breathe.
The multiracial and multigenerational crowd in Washington began to arrive at the courthouse about 10:30 a.m. Saturday.
The protest was organized by two groups, led by Washington High School graduates Kurt Adkins and Meg McGill, and Chartiers-Houston graduates Sean McKim, Garrett Garlets and Matthew DeRosa.
Mark Marietta
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Kurt Adkins, one of the event organizers, sits in silence as protesters commemorate the death of George Floyd.
“We’re trying to raise awareness and help people understand that all we want is to be treated the same as you,” said Adkins, who said he has encountered racism and racial profiling. “The multitude of people that are not even of color who showed up today showed that there are a lot of people who are with the cause.”
There were tense moments after about a half-dozen men showed up with assault rifles and handguns tucked in their waistbands. A speaker, Jo Jo Burgess of Washington, put his arm around one of the men with guns and drew him into the march.
Mark Marietta
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Protesters question the presence of weapons being carried at the event at the Washington County Courthouse Saturday.
“Sometimes you have to engage people,” said Burgess, who didn’t know the armed men’s identity.
Washington police said the armed men appeared to have joined the rally in support of the cause. Police didn’t know their identities.
Mark Marietta
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Kurt Adkins, event organizer, and Josh Locy embrace in understanding at the protest in front of the Washington County Courthouse Saturday. Locy, a local business owner, was openly carrying weapons at the event.
Adkins said there had been many rumors circulating about what was planned Saturday. Many downtown business owners boarded up their windows in anticipation of problems.
“Let it be known we are going to be peaceful,” Adkins said. “There is only one cause, and that is equality.”
There was a heavy police presence, with police positioned on rooftops and drones overhead. A helicopter flew above the crowd, sometimes drowning out the speakers. Organizers had heard rumors that outside agitators planned to disrupt the rally.
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Protest leader Ahmad Morris Walker and Washington police Chief Bob Wilson share a moment of celebration as the marchers return peacefully to the county courthouse June 6.
Washington police chief Robert Wilson prayed and marched with the protesters.
“I support their cause. The incident with Mr. Floyd should never have ever happened,” said Wilson. “We’re here to make sure their voices are heard, and it’s done in a peaceful manner.”
Burgess urged protesters to get out and vote, and a voter registration booth was set up during the protest so that people could register.
“We need to get people that are going to systematically put us back in the game. We are not going to do that by sitting there,” he said. “If we want true change, we need to get out in November.”
Many in the crowd wore shirts that carried statements such as “black lives matter,” “I can’t breathe,” and “racism is a pandemic.” Others in attendance wore masks with the same messages.
The majority of the people in the crowd wore masks as protection against the novel coronavirus.
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Peaceful protesters march from the Washington County Courthouse along East Beau Street on June 6. City of Washington Chief of Police, Bob Wilson, is among those leading the march.
“What brought me here is the long history and knowledge that black and brown people are not treated the same in this country,” said Andrea Michalski of Peters Township. “I don’t think all cops are bad. I don’t think anybody is bad, but I think it’s a real issue, and I am truly hoping there is real change to address it.”