By Meg DePanise
About 75 protestors marched the streets of downtown Frederick Thursday Aug. 28 to show their support for the residents of Ferguson, Mo., where Michael Brown, a black man, was shot and killed by a white police officer.
The group marched from South End Park at Burck Street to West South Street and West Patrick Street to the courthouse and then to City Hall.
Protestors voiced their opinions about the violence in Ferguson, Mo., many of them carrying signs and speaking out with a bullhorn.
Hood College junior Sandow Sinai got involved in the march when his friend in the Frederick area began planning the march and inviting him to meetings. “My role ended up being holding the banner for a lot of the march and holding the megaphone as chant leader,” Sinai said.
Sinai said that he also spoke briefly at stops along the march about his personal experience with racism and about the history of racism in Frederick including Roger B. Taney, a Frederick lawyer who later served as the fifth Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court and an ardent supporter of slavery.
“It was important to me because the facts of racism are terrifying,” Sinai said. “Every 28 hours, a black person is murdered by a cop, private sector security, or a vigilante and as a black teenager I have to always be conscious of the fact that it could be me.”
The protestors carried a sign that read “Fists Up Cops Down RIP Mike Brown” and chanted as they made their way to City Hall. According to participants, no streets were shut down for the march and a couple Frederick police observed the peaceful protest.
“I went to the march for Ferguson not only because I think the justice system is racist but also because I think that if people like me, not targeted by racism, don’t stand with the black community on this, the police are only going to get more dangerous,” Hood sophomore Grant Gallagher said. “And I don’t want to live in that world.”
A second march for Michael Brown was scheduled for Sept. 6 but was cancelled due to inclement weather. Organizers plan to postpone the march for a later date.
The march was hosted by Frederick Rising, a self-proclaimed anti-hate and pro-community group and human rights organization Unsettle Frederick.
Frederick Rising accepted monetary donations at the march to buy food to send to Ferguson, Mo. where much of the youth relies on meals provided by the school system. Donations and school supplies to benefit the Frederick youth were also encouraged.
A fairly new group, Frederick Rising joined Facebook during October of last year and has gained attention from many of its members’ participation in a number of radical responses and movements. Many members Occupied Frederick, took to the streets for Trayvon Martin, and spoke out against the privatizing of Citizens and Montevue nursing home facilities.
On Saturday, Sept. 13, Frederick Rising will host an event listed on Facebook as “A look at Ferguson, Mo.: Where they’re going, Where They’re at.” According to the event page, organizer Chris S. from Harrisburg, Pa. will share his experience on the movement in Ferguson, Mo. where he has spent time on the ground.
The event is open to the public and Frederick Rising asks that attendees bring a few dollars and a dish to share.
Unsettle Frederick meets weekly on Fridays at 5 p.m. inside Kemp Hall at 4 East Church Street, Frederick.
Photo by Max Neely.
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