COVINGTON, Ga. — A second peaceful protest was held on the Covington Square on Saturday evening in response to the death of George Floyd.
Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was pinned to the ground and had his neck kneeled on by a Minneapolis Police officer for more than eight minutes on May 25. He died from the incident.
Last week, the officer who knelt on the back of Floyd’s neck was charged with second-degree murder. The three police officers who were also on the scene were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.
Last Wednesday, Eastside High School graduate Timothy Birt organized a peaceful demonstration on the Square in the wake of Floyd’s death. Three days later, fellow Eastside product Kalene Heilesen, 19, helped produce Saturday night’s demonstration to provide the people of Covington with a platform to take a stand against police brutality in America.
Heilesen worked with her group of friends to put on an event that would encourage the community to unite behind the Black Lives Matter movement.
“We just really want to show Covington that we are not going to be silent. We are not going to be stomped on. We are not going to be shut down,” she said. “It’s just important that we keep having this hard conversation.”
After working with the Covington Police Department and Newton County Sheriff’s Office, Heilesen received a permit for the peaceful demonstration. Posters were made and shared on social media platforms all throughout the week and hundreds of protestors showed up on the Square from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. to make their voices heard.
The evening’s events included marching around sidewalks, lying facedown for eight minutes and 46 seconds — the amount of time the police officer kept his knee on Floyd’s neck — and chanting ‘I can’t breathe,’ and an open forum for individuals to speak their piece.
Additionally, there was a tent on location where those in attendance could register to vote or check their registration status. Heilesen noted that she wanted to offer as much guidance as possible to help citizens invoke change that will ease the nation’s unrest.
“I do believe that after we believe in our hearts and our minds that we want to make a change, the first real step to doing that is voting,” she said. “Voting is where people in power can do what you want them to do.
“It’s very important that we inspire people to stand up for what they believe in. And that we inspire people to open their hearts, open their eyes and open their ears and just listen to what’s going on. That’s the first step to making a change.”
More sights from Saturday evening’s peaceful protest can be seen below:
