George Floyd Death: Protests Continue In Maryland For 11th Consecutive Day
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — It's been two weeks since George Floyd died in police custody in Minneapolis. Since then, protests have been happening around the country and in Maryland.
For the eleventh consecutive day, protesters took to the streets in Baltimore, as well as in other cities, continuing their calls for an end to police brutality and systemic racism.
In Towson, people peacefully held signs at Patriot Plaza.
"All lives do matter, but right now black lives matter the most; we need to fix them first," organizer Devon Healy said.
Healy was adopted by two women who loved him and his black skin, and they taught him how to love others, he said. Monday, he spread that message.
"I've never really been much into black culture because of the way I grew up, but this is my way to branch out into it and learn more about myself and who I really am and who this culture is. This is my culture," Healy said.
The uproar over the death of George Floyd has sparked protests across the country and around the world; in Towson, the message rang loud and clear.
"This is what we need, the younger generation will be the ones changing the world," Healy said.
Healy said he worked with the Baltimore County Police Department to make the protest a safe place for everyone.
Police reform has been in the national spotlight, but some of these young voices said many of America's systems need to be rebuilt.
"We're going to start at the police system, but we need to look at health care, education system, public services, food, work," protester Caitlin Shook said.
Another protest organized by the Public Defender's Office took place in downtown Baltimore Monday afternoon.
Demonstrators' chants of "Black Lives Matter" echoed off downtown buildings.
Chopper 13 was over the gathering:
Meanwhile, around 40 people stood at the intersection of Reisterstown Road and Franklin Boulevard in Reisterstown Monday evening, holding signs they hoped would encourage parents and children passing by to start a conversation about race.
"I wanted to bring my daughter out here, I wanted her to experience the energy and understand how important it is to stand up for what she believes in," Latoya Neely said.
Those gathered at the demonstration called for equality for all.
"My daughter goes to school with a number of kids who are different races, different religions. We all exist together and we all need to treat each other the same," Sarah Rosenthal said.
Michelle Finzel from Owings Mills said despite the protests nearing the two-week mark, they aren't slowing down.
"We're not going to stop doing this until the action happens, like legitimate, not just surface-level like, 'Okay we'll change a law here or there,' we need legitimate action for everyone because if it's not working for everybody it's not working for anybody," she said.
Read the latest coverage of the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis from WCCO-TV | CBS Minnesota.
