'Black lives matter!'

SANDUSKY — Their overarching message echoed throughout the streets of Sandusky. At the Columbus Avenue underpass, they shouted, "Black lives matter!" In front of Kroger on West Perkins Avenue — while lying facedown on the pavement — they chanted, "Hands up! Don't shoot! Down Milan Road (U.S. 250) and even into the Sandusky Mall, they screamed, "No justice! No peace!" And throughout the neighborhoods, and in the middle of intersections, they yelled out, "I can't breathe!" While the words differed, their meaning and purpose never wavered. About 1,500 people attended a peaceful protest for equality Monday afternoon. They raised awareness for racial injustice and police brutality, outraged over a repeating pattern of white police officers getting off scot-free when they kill black people while in their custody without ever receiving due process. The latest such incident sparking these protests nationwide, including in Sandusky: Derek Chauvin, a white Minneapolis police officer, killing George Floyd, a black man, on May 25. Chauvin pressed his knee against Floyd's neck, pinning him against the pavement. In his final breath, Floyd muttered, "I can't breathe." People first gathered at Schade-Mylander Plaza in downtown Sandusky for a rally. About two dozen community members addressed attendees. Among some of the comments made: • "Our voice will no longer fall upon deaf ears," said Sandusky resident Mary Giles, a black woman. "It will no longer be silenced because silence is consent. We will continue marching and have more protests and rallies, like this, if need be." • "All lives can't matter until black lives matter," said Ramyah Oba-Thomas, a black woman, who helped organize this event. "We all bleed the same blood. We are all the same people. Therefore all of our lives matter, but black lives need to be protected. We need to know that we matter, too." • "I'm happy to see that Sandusky has always stayed strong and unified, no matter what," said Sterling Jackson, a black man, who graduated from Sandusky High School. "We are all united. Everybody believes in this cause. I have always loved this community." • "My shirt says 'enraged black woman' because that is what I am. I am enraged," said Keiana Newell, a black woman, from Sandusky. "The system never works for us, and it seems to never support us. But justice is not radical. It is not farfetched. It's achievable. We all have to work together to ensure that black lives matter." After the rally, protestors peacefully marched to the Erie County Courthouse, where they chanted the names of several slain black men and women killed by white police officers — all of whom were never convicted of their actions. Local law enforcement officers then escorted the marchers as they headed down Columbus Avenue, West Perkins Avenue and Milan Road (U.S. 250) before activities culminated inside the Sandusky Mall. In certain areas, the protestors halted traffic to get their message across. Quite often, vehicles honked in support of the cause. But at no time during this four-hour event did even one attendee act disrespectful toward law enforcement, vandalize property or commit a violent act, officials said. And, despite speculation running rampant on social media, nobody looted stores or rioted in the streets. "There are a lot of cities that are being torn down because of the childishness," said Christopher Hall, a black man from Sandusky. "It's childish to throw rocks and bricks to destroy something that somebody has worked their whole lives for. Black people are builders. Not burners. This is a day where we all came together in unity and in love. Nobody will be disrespected in Sandusky, Ohio." Daryl Murphy, the president of the Sandusky NAACP, didn't publicly speak during the event but still participated in the walk. He threw praise onto those who expressed their constitutional rights to protest. "Everybody was peaceful. Hopefully, we're going in the right direction," Murphy said. "I look forward to going in the right direction. We're not going to stop now." Blake Harris, a Sandusky city commissioner, who is black, agrees with Murphy and issued a challenge to all in hopes of making a difference beyond Monday's event. "As we stand together, make sure you take home with you hope and not bitterness," Harris said. "I challenge you all to become the bridge to understanding that can become the bridge to quality and the bridge to justice."