At one of East Cobb’s busiest intersections, Alice I. found herself in an unusual situation. A local resident who’s a yoga instructor, she said she’s never gotten involved in politics or any kind of demonstration of any kind.
Until now.
She took part in a mostly-white rally of around 30 to 40 people Wednesday in front of Trader Joe’s.
A few dozen others were positioned at all quadrants of the intersection of Roswell Road and Johnson Ferry Road, asking motorists to honk their horns in support of Black Lives Matter.
A good number of them did.
“I’m doing this because I stand with black people,” said Alice, who declined to give her last name.
Black Lives Matter is the activist group that has staged protests around the country after the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, at the hands of Minneapolis police last week.
BLM started several years ago and grew around similar deaths, but the Floyd case has caused sustained shock waves around the country.
The officer seen kneeling on Floyd’s neck for nine minutes has been charged with murder, and three other officers on the scene also have been charged. They were immediately terminated.
But peaceful protests designed to draw attention to police brutality quickly turned violent in Minneapolis, Atlanta and other cities. Many of those incidents are being blamed on outside groups having nothing to do with the initial protestors.
Alice said she abhorred the video she saw of Floyd, who was face-down on the ground and handcuffed in the moments before his death.
“This is about white people no longer being silent,” Alice said. “We have to stand up and say, ‘Enough is enough,’ that we’re coming from a place of love.”
There have been several protests in Cobb County over the weekend and into the week and expanding into East Cobb.
Alice said she heard from neighbors about Wednesday’s rally and decided to attend. She was also upset that some have confused peaceful protests with looting, burning and property destruction that have prompted arrests and curfews in a number of cities, including Atlanta.
“Everyone’s here wearing a smile, just showing support” for black citizens,” she said, and was hopeful that “African-Americans [will] see how much white people are supporting them.”
Some of the participants Wednesday shouted chants that have been heard frequently at other protests.
“Say his name!” they shouted.
“George Floyd!”
Rallies are scheduled for the same intersection the rest of this week from 5-7 p.m.
Other rallies are taking place from 2-4 p.m. at the intersection of Canton Road and Jamerson Road, and from 7-9 p.m. at the intersection of Sandy Plains Road and East Piedmont Road.
On Saturday morning, several Marietta churches are holding a “Prayer & Peaceful Protest Rally” at 10 a.m at Zion Baptist Church, 165 Lemon Street, near downtown Marietta.
A group called Cobb County BLM Resources said there will be a rally at 2 p.m. Saturday at Lassiter High School, near the Smoothie King.
Related content
- Cobb Police Chief: ‘No room’ for racism, injustice or brutality
- Cobb Police issues joint statement about planned protests
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