Hundreds of Wichitans attended an organized protest Saturday afternoon following the death of George Floyd earlier this week. Floyd was an unarmed black man who was killed while in police custody in Minneapolis for alleged forgery charges.
News of his death has sparked outrage and violence across the country, as well as peaceful calls for criminal justice reform and an end to police brutality nationwide.
Several keynote speakers attended the event; among them were Mayor Brandon Whipple, Wichita Police Chief Gordon Ramsay, City Council Member Brandon Johnson, and local NAACP President Lt. Colonel Larry Burks.
Chief Ramsay spoke about his reaction to the death of George Floyd and encouraged the community to remain proactive when issuing suggestions or complaints to the police department in order to continue development of new policies and procedures.
Mayor Whipple urged the crowd to hold him accountable should he “Lose [his] way…as many elected officials sometimes do.”
City Council Member Brandon Johnson praised the work Chief Ramsay has been doing while also addressing his own experiences with police brutality on his road to office. And NAACP President Burks spoke about Wichita’s own history of peaceful protest during the Civil Rights Movement.
The rally culminated in a peaceful march down East 21st Street.
