Mayor, sheriff in Chester SC plan Monday night unity rally against violence
Black and white leaders in Chester County are teaming up to try and unite the community against violence in the wake of the killing of George Floyd at the hands of police, and violent protests in some places in South Carolina.
And the rally comes in a city, Chester, that already has had a protest march in 2020 after a black male was killed in late 2019 by police outside a Walmart.
Max Dorsey, Chester County Sheriff, and Wanda Stringfellow, City of Chester mayor, are co-sponsoring a unity rally for the public tonight at 8 p.m. in downtown Chester.
The event will be outdoors in a parking lot at 109 Cestrian Drive.
Dorsey is white. Stringfellow is black.
Chester County, with about 32,000 residents, is about 40 percent African-American, census figures show. The city of Chester, with about 5,500 residents, is about 70 percent African-American.
“”We want to show unity in the community and denounce any form of violence,” Dorsey said.
Dorsey is among several area law enforcement officials, including Lancaster County Sheriff Barry Faile and Lancaster Police Department Chief Scott Grant, who have denounced the death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer.
The “Call for Unity Rally” will feature Chester Police Department Chief Eric Williams, religious leaders, public officials, educators and others.
The event also will feature prayer for the community, state and country, organizers said.
The rally was organized Sunday by Dorsey and Stringfellow after some protests turned violent in South Carolina over the weekend.
Floyd, an African-American man, was killed in Minnesota when a police officer in Minneapolis kneeled on his neck in an incident captured on video.
A Rock Hill protest Saturday that drew more than 1,000 people was peaceful. A protest of about 100 people in Lancaster Sunday was peaceful, WSOC-TV reported.
A protest in Columbia Saturday night became violent with police injured, cars burned, and stores looted.
S.C. Gov. Henery McMaster said National Guard troops are prepared for mobilization around the state if protests turn violent.
In nearby Charlotte, protests included violence on Friday and Saturday.
An African-American Chester man was killed by police in November 2019, sparking a protest march in Chester earlier this year. Police said Arianne McCee had been shoplifting, was placed in custody, then fled and showed a gun.
No charges were filed by prosecutors against the officers involved, after SLED and prosecutors said the officers fired in self-defense.
McCree’s family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Chester Police Department and the city of Chester. That lawsuit remains pending.
