A peaceful ‘I Can’t Breathe’ rally was held at Virginia Park in downtown Hopkinsville Saturday afternoon as a way to show unity and discuss ways to change inequalities.
The event, which asked the question “How Will You Push for Change”, lasted a few hours and demonstrated the way to host a rally without destroying property and brought in over 200 people.
Frances Dunbar, a registered nurse, says her jobs requires her to love people even when they may not love her back. During her speech to the crowd, she compared the current situation to having abscesses and boils.
Dunbar quoted “Man in the Mirror”, a popular song recorded by Michael Jackson.
In many events across the country, a lot of hatred has been directed toward those who work in law enforcement. Hopkinsville Police Public Information Officer Mike Atkins spoke about a recent wrongdoing in Florida when a white male police officer pushed a black female to the ground at a rally. He says in their profession if they see something wrong they should speak up about it.
Atkins adds every officer he has spoken to did not condone the actions that led to George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis.
The rally saw many speakers, a majority pastors at area churches, including Reverend Perry Greenwade, of Little River Missionary Baptist Church in Trigg County. Terry Willis, the man walking from Alabama to Minneapolis, Minnesota spoke to the crowd, as well. Willis encouraged anyone who can to meet him in Minneapolis, as he would like to enter the city with 1,000,000 people.
Everyone in attendance who did not have proper personal protection equipment was provided a mask and hand sanitizer courtesy of the Christian County Health Department.
