The crowd at a Black Lives Matter protest following the death of George Floyd joined together in vowing not to stay silent about racism.
Before the march kicked off this week in Bethesda, Maryland, hundreds of people were recorded raising both of their hands in the air and reciting an oath to speak out against “racism, anti-blackness or violence.”
“I will use my voice in the most uplifting way possible, and do everything in my power to educate my community. I will love my black neighbors the same as my white ones,” the group, which appeared to include mostly white people, recited during the student-led demonstration.
The protest also included addresses from people outraged by Floyd’s death in Minneapolis last week after a white police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes while arresting him.
“My grandma marched on Washington, and I am still doing the same thing. The same thing, because nothing has changed,” said a Bethesda-Chevy Chase graduate.
The demonstration was just one of thousands that have taken place across the world since Memorial Day when Floyd died. A video of Floyd’s arrest showed former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin holding his knee to Floyd’s neck until he became unconscious.
Chauvin and three other officers involved in the arrest have been fired. Chauvin has been charged with second-degree murder, and the three other officers, Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng, and Tou Thao, have been charged with aiding and abetting murder.
Though many protests in the country have been peaceful, some have turned violent in major cities, most notably in New York City. New York City Police Department officers have been repeatedly attacked in recent days, including an officer getting struck by a hit-and-run driver, one who was beaten while he was on the ground in the Bronx, and one who was “nearly killed” when a brick was thrown at him.
