Estevan area residents rallied against racism and police brutality Sunday afternoon during a peaceful Black Lives Matter protest.
An estimated crowd of 150-200 people gathered in central Estevan for the event. It started on the sidewalk in front of the Estevan Court House, where supporters stood with signs to show their support for the fight against racism.
Many of them had signs that said Black Lives Matter, but others came up with other messages.
People also chanted “No Peace, No Justice,” “Black Lives Matter” and “I Can’t Breathe.”
Then they marched the 2 1/2 blocks down Fourth Street to the intersection with 13th Avenue, before returning to the Court House.
Dallas Macalalad, who organized the event alongside Kelsey Rydberg, read the names of some black people who have died at the hands of law enforcement. Then the crowd knelt and observed eight minutes and 46 seconds of silence – the amount of time white Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on the neck of a black man, George Floyd.
Floyd died in the incident. The video has sparked protests throughout the world, including some in Saskatchewan.
Chauvin and three other officers have been charged in connection with Floyd's death.
Several speakers addressed the crowd and then the audience gradually dispersed, with some choosing to stand on the sidewalk with their signs once again. Many motorists honked their horns to support the protest.
Most of the people in attendance wore facemasks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Macalalad and Rydberg said they were pleased with the attendance for the rally, and they were particularly happy to see so many young people present. Prior to today, they had hoped to attract about 20 people to the protest, but that number was easily surpassed before the scheduled 2 p.m. start time.
Members of the Estevan Police Service were on hand to show their support, and Police Chief Paul Ladouceur was among the speakers.
The next edition of the Mercury will have more on this story.
