Protesters hold up signs during a protest against racism in Red Deer on Thursday, June 5, 2020. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

"BLACK LIVES MATTER"

Hundreds turn out for second anti-racism protest in Red Deer

Jun 5, 2020 | 3:51 PM

After about 150 people turned out for a similar event on Monday, a substantially larger crowd showed up in downtown Red Deer on Friday to protest against racism.

The protest, which blocked several intersections at a time, meandered through downtown.

The demonstrations, along with others across the country and the world, come in the wake of George Floyd’s death in Minnesota at the hands of a police officer.

Friday’s gathering began with empassioned speeches before a moment of silence that saw all in attendance, including RCMP members, take a knee a la former football star Colin Kaepernick who kneeled in 2016 to bring awareness to police brutality.

“We heard personal stories from people and when people do that, I think it has to touch somebody’s heart. I think it can change a person’s mindset,” organizer Angie Chinguwo told rdnewsNOW. “I truly believe protests do make a difference. It’s also giving black people a platform to share their voice and have people listen.”

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Attendees of a protest in Red Deer on June 5 kneel and raise a fist in memory of George Floyd. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

The crowd rolled through chants like ‘No justice, no peace,’ ‘Black lives matter’ and ‘I can’t breathe’ among others.

Red Deer city councillors Dianne Wyntjes, Michael Dawe, Buck Buchanan and Ken Johnston were among the crowd. Wyntjes said that the lens on systemic racism right now is important to pay attention to.

“To hear the speakers today moved me. It moved me to having a continued eye to systemic racism, with policy and legislative changes, and the continued messages we send to leaders who are able to make those changes,” Wyntjes said. “My heart and mind is with our citizens who experience racism and I stand with them.”

Two Red Deer RCMP officers kneel during a moment of silence in the city’s downtown on June 5, 2020. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

Red Deer RCMP Superintendent Gerald Grobmeier talked about what it meant for his officers to be there because they were invited, not because they had to.

“It means that there is some faith in us here in Red Deer, and some trust. I’m sure some here would say we could do things better, and I wouldn’t disagree with that,” he admitted, also commenting on the fact his members kneeled.

“It’s important we’re here so we can do our job to ensure the safety of protesters, but we also wanted to show our support and make a statement that we are also against racism. When the crowd kneeled, it was just the right thing to do.”

Another protest is scheduled for Saturday at 12 p.m. starting at City Hall Park.

(rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

(rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)