Locals protested peacefully throughout Rome and Floyd County on Tuesday evening against racial injustice, as well as to demonstrate love and solidarity with people of all races. The peaceful protest was assembled by AMP Rome, the organization that originated in 2016 as “Turn Your Back on Hate” with a peaceful protest to a white supremacist event held in Rome.
Betty Ford of Rome states that she participated in Tuesday’s protest because she wants ‘justice for all’.
A contigent of youth was stationed in front of City Hall in downtown Rome, equipped with signs and banners. They were also wearing face masks to do their part to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Emily Duarte, first generation Mexican-American, says that she took a break from her work to join the protest and demonstrate her support of her African-American brothers and sisters.
Barton Sopata, a recent graduate of Rome High School, asserts that he joined the protest to encourage a sense of unity in the country.
Sophie Sabu, a native of Rome who is home for the summer from Columbia University up in New York City, has a message for her hometown – all lives matter.
Rome City Commissioner Wendy Davis heard the message of our youth loud and clear. After all, she was there to listen.
According to Jessie Reed, Executive Director of AMP Rome, over 500 were stationed all over town for this protest, from Broad Street to Shorter Avenue, from North Rome to South Rome. It was one of many being held across the country in the days following the death of George Floyd, the black man who was killed when an officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes during an arrest in Minnesota last week.