Hundreds gathered and filled the streets of Prince George this afternoon (June 5) during the Black Lives Matters protest.
The protests come following the death of 46-year-old George Floyd after being held down by a police officer’s knee at his neck on May 25.
A series of protests have since taken place in the United States, some resulting in large fires, destruction of businesses and violence, and around the world in solidarity against racism and police brutality.
Hundreds of people took to the streets of Prince George during the first #BlackLivesMatters protest. Here’s another stream of crowds #cityofpg #racism #BLM #black #bc #canada @PGMatters #GeorgeFloyd pic.twitter.com/kuEp2Rbs5T
— Jess Balzer (@jessicajbalzer) June 5, 2020
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced on Wednesday (June 3) that charges against Derek Chauvin had been upgraded from third-degree murder to second-degree murder, court documents show.
Charges were also filed against former Minneapolis police officers J.A. Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao.
The three have been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
Chants of "No justice, no peace!" rang out throughout the downtown Prince George core with the rally at city hall and the march shortly after.
There was a moment of silence observed for eight minutes and 46 seconds, the time George Floyd was pinned to the ground by a police officer saying "I can't breathe."
UNBC Timberwolves' Tyrell Laing was also present at the protest after speaking out earlier this week through a team social media video on his experiences being black and the Black Lives Matter movement.
Soili Smith, a black woman born and raised in Prince George, an alum of UNBC and currently a PhD student in American Studies at Rutgers University, also spoke at the rally after penning an op-ed to PrinceGeorgeMatters, also sharing her experiences of being black.
A second Black Lives Matter rally is scheduled for tomorrow (June 6), 12 p.m. from the Prince George Playhouse.
