A demonstration against police brutality following the killing of George Floyd was held Sunday afternoon in Benton Harbor. It began with a march from First Congregational Church on Bellview Street to Dwight P. Mitchell City Center Park, where around 300 people gathered. Local pastors, activists, and Mayor Marcus Muhammad addressed the crowd with Muhammad saying he is both sad and angry about the deaths of black men at the hands of police. However, he urged everyone not to let that anger become a danger.
“Let’s build up, let’s clean up, let’s strengthen up our community, but we can only do that with unity,” Muhammad said.
Standing behind Muhammad was Congressman Fred Upton. Trenton Bowens, one of the event’s organizers, told us there were several issues he wanted to raise.
“To not just shine a light on the national issues,” Bowens said. “It seems like being black is a crime in America right now. But to also show support and bring awareness to our local issues, not just dealing with police, but the health disparities in African American communities, the inequities that we’re dealing with.”
Like Muhammad, Bowens stressed the need for peace. And the crowd was peaceful as police mingled with demonstrators. Pastors who spoke stressed the need to keep up pressure on political leaders to bring about real change.
