Stafford residents gathered for a peaceful rally at the Stafford Marketplace shopping center to protest police brutality and encourage community participation.
The rally was held outside a Target store at 1 o’clock Sunday afternoon to protest the actions of police brutality that took the life of Minneapolis resident George Floyd, 46. Residents gathered to hear speakers implore them to take action on the local level, to press leaders through the ballot to make sure that the events that have happened in Minneapolis and around the country don’t happen in Stafford.
“Too many times we will not show up to the voter’s booth, too many times we let all of our decisions be made for us and do not do anything but complain about what we get. We have got to show up and we have to do what we’re supposed to do. Too many people have died for our ability and our right to vote, but we still do not do it. Our participation is horrible at the voting booth, that’s where we need to fight. And if people don’t do the job we elected them to do, then we get them out of there,” said Vernon Green Jr., founder of GCubed, Inc. a North Stafford IT firm, who led the rally.
Speakers implored those in attendance to come together regardless of race, skin color, creed, religion, or political association. Among those speakers in attendance were members of the Stafford County Board of Supervisors, including Tom Coen and Crystal Vaunch, and Stafford County Sheriff David Decatur, Stafford County School Superintendent Dr. Scott Kizner, and Stafford Commissioner of the Revenue Scott Mayausky, human rights lawyer and Virginia Senate hopeful Kasim Rashid.
“I ran for the school board four years ago because I cared about the students and the children of Stafford County. I have three sons and one daughter and one reason I ran was because I wanted equity and equality for all children. I saw them treated differently from other kids and I decided no more. I needed to run to make a difference, if you don’t like the policies that they’re running, you run and that’s what I did,” stated Garrisonville District School Board Member R. Pamela Yeung, who also spoke at the rally on the importance of participation in local politics to make positive change.
“At this place where we are now, a lot of black people, a lot of people of color we’re just tired. We want to be heard and we don’t just want to be listened to. We want to make sure they change and enact legislation with police departments and making sure they’re monitoring their police officers and holding them accountable. I can truly say I know police officers who are great and are doing a great job and that those who are keeping silent within the police forces must be held accountable. Even in the judicial system, we need to make sure the judges are being held accountable as well. At this point, what we’re saying is we want to see change,” stated Virginia Delegate Joshua Cole (D-28, Fredericksburg, Stafford) who was also in attendance at the rally.
This rally is the latest in a series of protests in the county in the wake of the death of George Floyd, who was killed on May 25, 2020. A video that has stormed across the internet shows former Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, placing his knee on Floyd’s head, holding him down on the ground during an arrest attempt.
The video captured by onlookers captured Floyd saying “I can’t breathe,” and “please don’t kill me” in the final moments of his life.
Four officers, including Chauvin, were fired from the Minneapolis police force. Chauvin was arrested on May 29 and has been charged with manslaughter and third-degree murder. The other three officers have not been arrested or charged.
An FBI investigation is ongoing.
After the rally at Stafford Marketplace broke up, the second group of protesters entered the area and blocked traffic on nearby Garrisonville Road, leading to six arrests.
