Rock Hill ‘March for George Floyd’ set for Saturday; organizers want police review board
Rock Hill’s religious and social justice leaders are planning to march in downtown Saturday in protest of the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota.
The march is scheduled for 11 a.m. from Fountain Park to the police department, then back.
Rev. C.T. Kirk and Apostle Norma Gray said they plan to speak outside the Rock Hill Police Department after the group marches from Fountain Park in downtown. Both religious leaders said they want Rock Hill to start a citizens review board for the police department.
“This is pro-active, not reactive,” said Kirk, senior pastor at Sanctuary of Life Outreach Center in Rock Hill. “It’s a people’s march. Everyone is welcome.”
Gray and Kirk said the time has come to get a review board for the city.
The Rock Hill Police Department and York County Sheriff’s office do not have citizen review boards.
Kirk and Gray said the event is a “march, not a riot.”
Both stressed they expect the event to be a peaceful, unifying presence for all people.
“We want to bring awareness to the public,” Gray said. “People have a lot of emotional energy right now after what has happened in Minnesota. We want this to be a positive for our community.”
A Minneapolis police officer has been charged with murder in Floyd’s death after video showed the officer kneeling on Floyd’s neck.
A flyer about Saturday’s march has been posted on Facebook and other social media.
Kirk and Gray said all people are welcome. Marchers are encouraged to wear coronavirus safety masks and use social distancing because of the Covid-19 pandemic, Kirk said.
“This is about community and togetherness of all people of all races,”Kirk said. “We want it to be safe and productive and bring unity to all.”
Marches and protests with the theme “I can’t breathe” and “Black Lives Matter” are planned for Saturday in Rock Hill, Columbia, Charlotte, and other Carolinas cities.
Floyd’s death has brought sharp rebukes to law enforcement officials across America and locally.
Lancaster Police Department Chief Scott Grant and Lancaster County Sheriff Barry Faile posted on department Facebook pages how they were “angry and “disgusted” by the police actions in Minnesota.
