Vidor holds peaceful protest
Published 12:27 am Wednesday, June 10, 2020
Eric Williams/Orange Leader
Eric Williams/Orange Leader
Eric Williams/Orange Leader
Eric Williams/Orange Leader
Eric Williams/Orange Leader
Eric Williams/Orange Leader
Eric Williams/Orange Leader People from as far as Georgia gathered at Raymond Gould Park in Vidor on Saturday to end racism in the community.
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By Dawn Burleigh
Residents gathered at Raymond Gould Park on Saturday to hold a peaceful march to honor the black lives lost, end racism, and help make a change to end hatred in the community. Close to 200 participated in the event on Saturday.
Some were concerned to see armed men nearby. The men were veterans and they said they were there to protect the Veterans Park after hearing how such monuments were damaged in other areas during protests.
While a large law enforcement presence was seen, the event was peaceful.
A group laid on the ground with their hands behind their back to represent the time George Floyd was held to the ground as he exclaimed, “I can’t breathe”. A statement which has become a mantra as people across the country demand an end to police brutality.
U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) discussed his phone call with the family of George Floyd and his bipartisan legislation to create a National Criminal Justice Commission to review the criminal justice system and propose reforms.
“The first step in justice for George Floyd, and now that all four officers involved in his death have been arrested and charged, is for the criminal justice system to work. But these four arrests do not arrest the larger problems that exist in our society: the lack of trust, the sense that justice is not equal,” Cornyn said. “In fact, they’ve only shined a brighter light on the systemic problems that we need to do our best to try to address. Making lasting changes will not be quick or easy.”
“One proposal I mentioned is a bipartisan bill that I introduced with Senator Gary Peters of Michigan and Chairman Lindsey Graham last year,” Cornyn added. “This bill actually had 20 bipartisan cosponsors. It was endorsed not only by the Urban League and the NAACP, but the major police organizations in this country as well, and it passed unanimously in the Senate. Unfortunately, we ran out of time in the House, so it did not actually become law. Not yet.”
