A diverse group of people marched and rallied Wednesday night in downtown Lexington in recognition of the National Day of Action Against Police Brutality.
Participants gathered first near Lexington's William Wells Brown Elementary School. Among them, Molly Van Zant, who wore a front and back corrugated sign of names from across the country. "I am wearing a list of some of people who have been killed by law enforcement recently, men and women," said Van Zant.
The group of 30 or so then headed from the East End school downtown to the Courthouse plaza. There, organizer April Taylor led a candlelit ceremony. "People have been rallying around October 22nd since 1996. This is the 19th year. We say not one more. Let me hear you say not one more," said Taylor.
There were no police on hand for either the march or rally.
Several college students were attendance. Chad Griffith is a criminal justice graduate student at EKU. "A lot of times people want to worry about, oh this is black versus white thing. We keep talking about it, it's never going to go away. All this stuff. The point is we haven't kept talking about it, and it's continued, it hasn't gotten any better, it hasn't really gotten any better," said Griffith.
A large group from Berea College also participated. Student Nathena Haggins recited a poem she wrote. "You scratch your head and you wonder, why a person my age and color would say that enough is enough, would say that I'm tired of hearing what my people went through, would say that I'm tired of it being used as to throw teenage boys to the slaughter, to turn another teenage boy into a martyr, yes I am tired," recited Haggins.?
