In Dozens of American Cities Officers Kneel and Protestors Embrace Them During Rallies Against Bad Policing
Across the United States, communities have rallied against the shameful police brutality on display in Minnesota, after George Floyd was killed. But also on display are dozens of cities were beautiful scenes of brotherhood and unity between law enforcement and protesters who all agreed on one thing—every cop should be held accountable.
Check out the videos and images below showing the heartwarming stories from Las Vegas to Washington, DC, and everywhere in between.
Protestors swarmed around police in Fort Worth, Texas after officers dropped to their knees and held back tears as they were embraced in front of grateful citizens (as seen in the video below).
Elsewhere in the state, Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo has drawn national praise for his willingness to march with activists and his call to hold officers responsible whenever they kill without justification.
After three nights of marches in Kentucky, protesters walked, chanted, and kneeled to pray, with Lexington police. One protester walked down the line of police officers, shaking their hands one by one.
Protesters asked police to kneel with them in front of the police dept. on Main Street. After a number of officers kneeled, protesters moved forward to embrace them. @heraldleader @pbaniak @HLpublicsafety pic.twitter.com/mZ8NiiEZPq
— Alex Slitz (@AlexSlitzPhoto) June 1, 2020
In New York City, protesters in Queens were kneeling in protest, and suddenly you can hear the crowd shrieking with surprise and support when some of the officers from the 103rd precinct take a knee, as well.
In Flint Michigan, Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson walked with protesters after they chanted ‘Walk with us!’ His response to a cheering crowd was, “Let’s go, Where do you want to walk? We’ll walk all night.”
Black protesters in Louisville, Kentucky locked arms to protect a lone police officer who had been separated from his squad, reported AP:
“This simple act of kindness made me cry. We’re supposed to be taking care of each other,” said Ruth Sokey on Twitter. Alex Garner replied, “Lord, thank you for this glimpse of hope in the dark.”
Rondell Trevino tweeted photos of the scene, saying “This is Pro Life.”
This police officer got separated from his squad, and several protesters protected him. This is pro-life. Let this sink in. #GeorgeFloyd pic.twitter.com/kCeUPUxNkC
— Rondell Treviño (@Rondell_Trevino) May 30, 2020
In Merced, California, a woman asked Army National Guard Captain Nicholas Koeni, “Can you do me a favor and take a kneel?” He replied, “Absolutely,” as many of the protesters cheered, clapped, and thanked the soldiers.
The Nashville, Tennessee Police Department tweeted out a touching photo from Saturday’s protest showing Officer Garren Hoskins and a protester sharing an embrace and a moment of prayer in the middle of the protest.
In the midst of Sat’s confrontation between protestors & officers at the Central Precinct, Officer Garren Hoskins and the protestor in front of him began talking about their shared Christian faith. Hoskins asked the man to join him in prayer. He put his sign down. They prayed. pic.twitter.com/c1KasU9dNQ
— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) June 1, 2020
Protestors in Sarasota, Florida, heard a conciliatory message from the North Port Police Department: “Anybody who feels disenfranchised… we want to work with them. We’ll kneel with you.” Local law enforcement agencies all had one common message—they denounced the actions of that former Minneapolis police officer, and promised to continue being transparent and compassionate in every neighborhood.
Also in Florida, CNN reported that officers from various agencies knelt with protesters in prayer in front of Coral Gables City Hall.
The fourth night of protests in downtown Indianapolis ended with police officers and protesters coming together for a beautiful, peaceful moment: “I feel like our message was heard… and I never in a million years thought I would embrace a cop like that,” said organizer Malik Muhammad.
Officers and protesters hugged, shook hands, thanked each other and walked with arms around each other. “We need y’all,” one black woman said as she hugged a white officer, in the emotional video below.
Columbus, Ohio demonstrators walked side-by-side with the mayor and police Tuesday on the second consecutive day that law enforcement marched with people gathered downtown to protest.
In Oklahoma, photos captured the powerful moment when sheriff’s deputies at the Oklahoma County Jail took a knee in solidarity—while in Des Moines, Iowa, Polk County Authorities also knelt with protesters for two minutes.
On the seventh day of protests in Atlanta, Georgia, two of the city’s top officials made an appearance among the demonstrators. The mayor and police Chief Erika Shields walked with protesters to show solidarity against racism and injustice. Other officials have joined #BlackLivesMatter marches across the U.S., including Pennsylvania governor Tom Wolf, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, and mayors in Little Rock, Ann Arbor, and Sacramento—as well as the police chief in Green Bay, Wisconsin, who had been a cop in L.A. for 22 years.
And finally, taking things to the next level, in Kansas City, Missouri the police department and protestors organized a march together—and they called it The Unity March.
Truth Comes to Light highlights writers and video creators who ask the difficult questions while sharing their unique insights and visions.
Everything posted on this site is done in the spirit of conversation. Please do your own research and trust yourself when reading and giving consideration to anything that appears here or anywhere else.
