Protesters speak out against racism

By CHRISTINE HAINES

chaines@yourmvi.com

A multi-racial, multi-generational peaceful protest took place Sunday afternoon in California borough.

Approximately 150 to 200 participants marched from the center of the California University of Pennsylvania campus to the center of California. The group, made up largely of Cal U students and alumni, was marching in protest of racism and police brutality in the wake of the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

The group marched from the Cal U campus to the intersection of Third and Wood streets in downtown California, where police blocked traffic as they sat in silence for eight minutes and 46 seconds, which is how long an officer had his knee on Floyd’s neck.

RaeNeille Forrest of Brownsville broke down in tears during the silent protest. The 40-year-old woman said she has children who are black and children who are biracial, and her biracial children have faced more prejudice than she ever experienced. 

“I’m here for the children. As long as I’m off work and they are marching, I’ll be there,” Forrest said. “This hit different this time. This has to stop. I was raised with two sets of parents. Both dads were military. We were taught that behind every closed door there are issues, so treat people the way you want to be treated. I’ve lived by that and raised my kids that way.”

Forrest was comforted by her mother, who also participated in the march.

“It’s not about race. When God created us, he created man and woman,” said Ramona Thomas of Brownsville.

Those sentiments were echoed by minister Beverly Bonnell of Full Gospel Church in California as she recalled the children’s song “Jesus Loves the Little Children.”

Campus minister Peter Ware started the event with an opening prayer and remarks, noting that everyone was there because they felt a need to bring about change. 

“What does the Lord ask of you? To act justly, to have mercy and to walk humbly before our God,”  Ware said, quoting the prophet Micah. “We recognize that people in power have abused that power, and that power needs to be used wisely.”

Marchers carried signs with a variety of slogans, including “Racism is a Pandemic Too,” “Police Brutality Needs to Stop” and “Color is not a Crime.”

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