EDGEWOOD, Md. — In Edgewood, a group of peaceful protesters walked with their neighbors, honoring those they've lost and having discussions about the changes they want to see.
Daphne Alston, co-founder of Mothers of Murdered Sons and Daughters, led chants of “no justice, no peace” as dozens of people walked along a highway in Edgewood with a police escort.
“One man can't change everything, one man is not an island, no man stands alone but one man did stand alone, he chose to put his foot in somebody's neck and he changed a whole nation,” Alston said,
Amanda Clayton was among the group who attended the ”Momma, I can’t breathe” rally.
“We want our community to feel safe calling the police, feeling safe to be protected, feeling safe that we're going to be okay with our children walking these streets and they're not going to be harassed by these police officers and they're not going to be gunned down and they're not going to get their knees in their neck,” said Clayton.
Donna Elliott, the grandmother of Maleigha Solonka, a 15-year-old murdered in 2017, attended the rally to show support for all lives.
“My granddaughter was murdered two-and-a-half years ago and it doesn't matter what race, creed, religion you are. Every life in this community and every other community matters,” Elliott said.
“So as America is looking for a cure to the COVID, black America is looking for a cure for this racism and these systemic issues you all have placed upon us. We want a vaccination for that now,” added Alston.
