Today, Springfield Illinois made a fantastic show of support for the Black Lives Matter movement that has been sweeping the nation the last week.
While there have been some reports of violence, these protesters have refused to participate in violence and have discouraged its use in their community as a way to pave the path to communication and change. Some of the group went as far as remaining in the main area as late as 1 am Central time, nearly 10 hours after the official beginning of the protest today to ensure that no one came to harm. Any time that someone lost a friend, they were quick to reunite them.
The streets were blocked off to allow safe walking in the area, as well as multiple safe lay-down protests on the pavement, one of these even matching the time of day that George Floyd was unfairly taken from this world, all while chanting the words, “I can’t breathe!” in unison.
We saw a flood of people from every background stand together and make their voices heard to the public – demanding that change finally happen and that we finally – truly – begin to hold police accountable for the brutal actions we’ve seen time and time again through history.
We will let the photos speak their own volumes from here. Provided courtesy of Chadwick Workman and ThaMc from Facebook livestreams. Thank you everyone! #blacklivesmatter #silenceiscompliance
The Friendly Felon - Life After a Felony 