KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — The young people of Kalamazoo joined together to hold a peaceful march through downtown on Friday in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
A group of Kalamazoo Central High School students organized the protest called, “Youth PEACEFUL Protest For BLM,” sending out a call for young students across the region to participate with their goal of peacefully marching downtown.
The demonstration came more than a week after the death of George Floyd was captured on video, sparking protests around the United States and in countries throughout the world. Floyd was killed by a white Minneapolis police officer who kneeled on his neck, shining a spotlight on police brutality, racism in the justice system, and the unfair treatment of black Americans.
The Friday march was the latest in a series of demonstrations that have been held in Kalamazoo. The weekend before thousands of protestors gathered to march through the city’s downtown with the event being followed by a candlelight vigil for Floyd. Protests have occurred nearly every day since, with most of the gatherings being peaceful.
On Monday, June 1st peaceful protests during the day gradually gave way to more violent demonstrations later in the night. Some protestors destroyed windows and looted stores downtown, prompting police to deploy tear gas and pepper spray to disperse the crowd. That led the city to issue an unprecedented curfew the following night and the complete barricading of the downtown area for a limited period.
The organizers of the Friday Black Lives Matter March made clear that their intentions were peaceful and welcomed the community to come join.
“Our hope is to use it as a way to allow us to express our opinions on the current state of the country,” one of the organizers said.
Around noon hundreds of people began streaming into Bronson Park, many wearing black in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. Attendees were encouraged to wear face masks beforehand as well as to follow social distancing guidelines when possible.
Around 12:30 the crowd began marching through the city’s downtown, traveling to West Lovell Street and then up through the Kalamazoo Mall and West Kalamazoo Street before ending up back at Bronson Park.
There was little if any police at the event, with the only disturbance being the minor disruption of traffic on West Michigan Avenue as some protestors created a human barricade to allow others to cross to Bronson Park.
The event’s Facebook page stated, “We would like to be prepared for any complications. If something does break out, do NOT engage, stay calm and keep walking, violence only makes the protest lose meaning and gets people hurt.”
