Marchers walk 6 miles in summer heat from MOA to Minneapolis to bring calls for change to suburb
(FOX 9)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Through the heat, a group of demonstrators made their way Sunday from the Mall of America to 38th and Chicago in Minneapolis, the corner where George Floyd was killed more than 40 days ago.
The intersection remains blocked off and a monument garden has gone up in the middle of the street. Demonstrators with the 10K Foundation marched six miles to the spot, to continue their call for justice.
"So right now, we’re going to walk on American Boulevard and we’re going to demand justice and we’re going to say Black lives matter and we’re going to let them know why we’re here," said Tayo Daniel with the foundation.
"We're in the cities," Daniel added. "We see all the Black lives matter signs. We see all of the 'no justice, no peace' signs. But, as soon as you cross that border in to the 'burbs, you stop seeing the signs. So what’s happening? Do they not care about that stuff in the suburbs?"
Organizers with the 10K Foundation say that’s one reason they started their march in the suburbs at the Mall of America. Marchers made the more than six-mile trek to 38th and Chicago while calling the event: "New America."
"In my New America, we would love each other for who we are," said Michelle Hill. "We would love each other and co-exist together for the wonderful thing that god put us here to do."
Marchers like Michelle Hill say part of that New America is re-examining traditions like what freedom means on the Fourth of July.
"As a black woman," Hill said, "As a decedent of ancestors, we were not free. We were not independent. We were still in bondage until a century later we were still laboring. We weren’t independent."
For the youngest of marchers, like Prince JT, a “New America” means working towards unity.
"I just want justice and I want equality for white Europeans and hue people," he explained. "I want them to come together and be free. Be friends."
Along the way, police vehicles blocked traffic and supporters stopped and cheered as marchers walked through the heat. The demonstrators asked that on this Fourth of July weekend, Americans think about the future.
"In order for America to become better we have to experience humility," said Daniel. "We have to admit our faults; we have to see our imperfections."
Former Gopher basketball player Royce White leads the 10K Foundation. The organization has led several marches since George Floyd’s death including a demonstration downtown Saturday night.