Hundreds of peaceful protestors ended separate rallies Tuesday night in compliance with a 10 p.m. curfew. It was the seventh consecutive night demonstrators took to Memphis streets in the wake of the death of George Floyd, the African American man in Minnesota who died after a police officer was shown kneeling on his neck for close to 10 minutes.
One rally in East Memphis temporarily shut down parts of Germantown Parkway near the Agricenter, according to other media reports. The gathering began in Shelby Farms.
Downtown’s march started and ended at the historic Clayborn Temple without incident, but with passionate pleas for changes in the way law enforcement police minorities and other social justice causes.
It was Michael McGhee’s first night participating with his 12-year-old son Savion. They wanted to speak out against systemic racism.
“It just needs to change,” McGhee said. “Some of the people that have the ability to make the changes, hopefully it touches their heart...that’s what it’s all about.”
Asked if he had anything to add, Savion replied with a simple, “Black Lives Matter.”
Police officers blocked traffic for the marchers as they weaved for several miles between two civil rights landmarks—the Clayborn and Mason Temples—at times pausing in intersections to sing and chant the names of recent victims of police brutality.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his final “Mountaintop” speech at Mason Temple before he was assassinated in Memphis. Protest organizer and Pastor DeVante Hill evoked King’s legacy throughout the night.
“I just told you that I think that everything Memphis needs is on top of this mountain,” he said. “We’re going to go back to the mountaintop.”
Police presence was light near the march with minimal officers and cars remaining at the periphery of the demonstration, redirecting traffic in the protesters' path.
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland implemented a curfew on Monday following weekend protests that at times involved clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement. Some area businesses were also damaged.
This post will be updated.
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