‘I Can’t Breathe, Hands up Don’t Shoot’ rally held Saturday

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The New Hanover County Chapter of the NC Black Leadership Caucus sponsored a rally on Saturday at St. Stephens AME Church in downtown Wilmington.

This peaceful protest was against the police-involved violence across the nation in hope for change.

Hands up Don’t Shoot, I Can’t Breathe, Black Lives Matter and Die in Protest are some of the names of organized movements happening nation-wide representing one purpose.

“The purpose why we are here today is to speak truth to power,” New Hanover County’s representative to the North Carolina Black Leadership Caucus Sonya Patrick said. “I’m inspired by your presence here today, because today in New Hanover County we are going to be part of a movement not a moment.”

Suzanne Workmen participated in the rally.

“Be together,” Workmen said, “white, black, yellow, green, purple as a community and stand strong.”

Seeing what happened in Ferguson, MO, after a grand jury’s decision not to indict Ofc. Darren Wilson in the Michael Brown shooting left folks here in southeastern North Carolina overwhelmed with emotions.

“My heart is broken. I feel like we as a nation should be further evolved,” Workmen said.

People from all over came to the Port City Saturday afternoon to protest for justice. Protesters demanded that the system has to change, saying the future of our nation depends it.

“Come together as a community so that this doesn’t happen again,” Workmen said. “Nobody else’s child is lost or husband is lost or son or daughter.”

The rally brought a message in the national spotlight, closer to home.

“It wasn’t anything I could think about it. I just knew I had to be here because it’s important. It’s important for us as a community to be together and say no more we aren’t going to do this anymore, we are going to try a different way,” Workmen said.

In the upcoming months, the NC Black Leadership Caucus plans to hold several more rallies and is working with the General Assembly to bridge the gap between the judicial system and the community.