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Chants of “Black Lives Matter!” “No Justice, No Peace!” and “George Floyd!” echo through the streets of downtown Beloit as protesters plan continued racial justice marches.

Local activists and community leaders are demanding change in the systems which allowed Minneapolis police officers to kill the unarmed, 46-year-old African American father of two who sparked nationwide outrage.

While cities across the country are being torn apart from within, Beloit’s Sunday afternoon protests left storefronts unharmed and citizens empowered.

The demonstration started as a march around Horace White Park, four laps around the block representing the four officers involved in Floyd’s arrest and subsequent death.

Activists like Yusuf Adama, Amiee Leavy and Reverend Michael Bell delivered impassioned speeches to a crowd of hundreds, honoring the killing of dozens of black men, women and children at the hands of police officers across the country.

A portion of the march continued down Grand Avenue to the Beloit police station, where Police Chief David Zibolski and Captain Andre Sayles later met with protesters to listen to their pain and anger.

“I would have been happy to meet with you at Horace Park, although I did not receive an invitation, so I did not want to insert myself as an officer unless the group wanted me to be there,” Zibolski told the crowd. “I was trying to show a little deference for you and the feelings the community has in terms of what happened to George Floyd.”

Zibolski described the Minneapolis police officers’ conduct as abhorrent, criminal and wrong. He emphasized how much the Beloit Police Department cares about the community, even if the protesters don’t always see or feel that relationship.

In a show of solidarity, Zibolski and Sayles joined the demonstrators in taking a knee and raising one hand to honor Floyd, physically coming down to their level to symbolize unity with their message.

The police chief plans to hold more “Conversations With The Community” events to further engage the public on contentious topics like use of force. He will also be meeting with local clergy, including Bell, on Monday to continue the dialogue with community leaders.

The protesters did not receive all of the change and answers they were seeking. One march through downtown Beloit won’t fix systemic racism. But it represented the first steps toward a long healing process for a community tired of mourning.


WCLO streamed the protests live on Facebook, which you can re-watch below. The video contains adult language.

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