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6/23/20256 min read

1,000-plus in Rock Hill SC march for racial justice, citizens review board for police By Cliff Harrington , Andrew Dys and Alex Zietlow Updated June 2, 2020 9:31 AM Hundreds gathered at Fountain Park Saturday for a social injustice protest for George Floyd, who was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis this week. The protesters walked blocks around downtown Rock Hill, carrying signs and chanting. By Tracy Kimball ROCK HILL A diverse crowd that organizers said numbered more than 1,000-strong marched peacefully through downtown Rock Hill Saturday to protest the death of George Floyd, an African American man who died in Minnesota at the hands of police, and to seek a local citizens review board for city police. And by the end of the rally, those marchers — who chanted words Floyd said as he died under the knee of a police officer, “I can’t breathe!” — had an official city advocate. Rock Hill City Council member Nikita Jackson, who marched, said she will present a proposal to city officials to create a citizens review board for Rock Hill’s police department. “We have to put the measures in place to keep what happened in Minneapolis from ever happening here,” Jackson said. “This is being proactive. The time has come.” Review boards are used in several other cities and counties, including Charlotte and Richland County where Columbia sits. The board would allow transparency for reviewing complaints and police activities, and give residents more of a voice in how the department interacts with the public, Jackson said. TOP VIDEOS Jackson said she hopes to have the new review board idea ready for presentation by the next city council meeting in June. York County Council member William “Bump” Roddey, a Rock Hill resident, said he supports the Rock Hill citizen review board and would be willing to look at a similar board for other law enforcement agencies in York County. Roddey attended the protest Saturday and called it a great example of community and unity among people of different backgrounds. Any review board gives the public more access to law enforcement and its workings outside of the inner workings of that law enforcement agency. The York County Sheriff’s Office and other police agencies in York County do not have citizen review boards. “A review board takes accountability beyond the superiors in that agency,” Roddey said. “It gives more accountability and transparency to the public that each of those agencies serve.” ‘We will not be silenced’ Apostle Norma Gray of the Rock Hill NAACP, one of the march organizers, said she is already seeking people willing to serve on the review board. “We hoped that this march would lead to action and a review board, and this seems like we are on the way toward that,” Gray said after the march. “This was an awesome day. What an experience and show of unity and love.” Gray had the crowd chanting with her, “We will not be silenced,” as she spoke about justice and fairness. She also made sure the crowd heard her say that what happened in Minnesota is a disgrace to all the other police officers here who serve their community with courage and respect. The officer who was captured on video kneeling on Floyd’s neck has been charged with murder. “What happened to George Floyd is a disgrace to all the other loyal officers who serve us all,” Gray said. Rock Hill residents march peacefully Rev. C.T. Kirk of Sanctuary of Life Outreach Center in Rock Hill, another main protest organizer, said to the crowd before the march that Rock Hill cannot — and will not — be Minneapolis. Rock Hill’s rich history of non-violent civil rights protest that dates back to the Friendship Nine in the 1960s is the only way to bring change to the community, Kirk said. The city’s motto, “No room for racism,” is the real deal in Rock Hill, Kirk said. “Do not let police brutality, injustice, racism be the Rock Hill that we know and love,” Kirk told the crowd that erupted in cheers as his voice rose. While the review board was the goal of the march, it was the protest itself that was a spectacle of unity, love, brotherhood and fellowship. The march wound from Fountain Park on Main Street around parts of downtown to Rock Hill City Hall, then back to the park. Dozens of pastors from predominantly black churches and white churches were involved. Rev. Sally Herlong, a white pastor, marched and said she, as a person of faith, will not stand for the killing of black people by police in America. “I will not be silent, and no one should be silent,” Herlong said. “What happened in Minnesota is not what faith calls for. It calls for action.” Myles Austin, a 21-year-old African American male, wore a Black Lives Matter flag draped around his neck and back. “There has to be a change in how black men, black people, are treated,” Austin said. “I am not just here because a black man was killed by the police in Minnesota. I am here for my brothers, my family, and my kids to come.” The crowd was a mix of races and ages, from young kids to grandparents. U.S. Army Veteran Herbert White marched with his family. White said, as a black man, he wanted to show support that all people deserve dignity, respect and equal treatment by law enforcement and society. “What happened in Minnesota to Mr. Floyd has gone on too long toward black people in America,” White said. Another African American Army veteran, Steven James, marched with is wife, Joanne. James served his country six years in the military and said that all Americans deserve to be treated with equality, dignity and respect in this country. “I am here to represent George Floyd, a black man who died in America at the hands of the police,” James said. “We all know what happened to him is wrong. We all can change it.” A diverse crowd of protesters Come the end of the march, Rock Hill resident Shaikerra Barnes said she was struck by the size of the crowd and the diversity in it. “As soon as we walked up, it felt like there was a really good number of every race out here, I would say,” Barnes said. “It was really good to see that we got the support in our city.” Young and old, families and individuals, people of all races — they lined the sidewalks. Many carried signs with different messages: “White Silence = Consent,” one read. “I’m not black but Black Lives Matter. I see you. I hear you. I stand with you. I mourn with you,” another read. Many wore shirts that read, “I can’t breathe.” One of them was a Rock Hill resident named Gary Chisholm. “This isn’t about a black man, a white man, or a latino — this is about humanity,” Chisholm said. “That’s what I’m standing for. Humanity.” O.C. Alston, another Rock Hill resident who is black, said this was a march for community and national unity. “It’s not a black or white thing,” Alston said. “It could be anybody. We’ve all seen the video. We know it’s wrong. ... “We’re just standing up together.” Jamal Blake, another marcher, said he doesn’t want this march to be a one-off event. “I want things to happen,” Blake said. “I don’t want it to just be something today.” This story was originally published May 30, 2020 at 12:21 PM. Andrew Dys The Herald 803-329-4065 Andrew Dys covers breaking news and public safety for The Herald, where he has been a reporter and columnist since 2000. He has won 51 South Carolina Press Association awards for his coverage of crime, race, justice, and people. He is author of the book “Slice of Dys” and his work is in the U.S. Library of Congress. Alex Zietlow The Herald Alex Zietlow writes about sports and the ways in which they intersect with life in York, Chester and Lancaster counties for The Herald, where he has been an editor and reporter since August 2019. Zietlow has won nine S.C. Press Association awards in his career, including First Place finishes in Feature Writing, Sports Enterprise Writing and Education Beat Reporting. He also received two Top-10 awards in the 2021 APSE writing contest and was nominated for the 2022 U.S. Basketball Writers Association’s Rising Star award for his coverage of the Winthrop men’s basketball team. 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