CHARLESTON, W. Va. – A diverse group of over 20 gathered on the steps of the Capitol along the riverside to protest the death of Michael Brown.
“We just wanted to provide an outlet today,” Gregg Susanne McAllister, one of the leaders of Wednesday’s protest said. “We just did not want more time to go by without saying ‘We notice. We’re aware. We’re standing guard as well to those kinds of injustices.'”
In the days after a St. Louis County, Mo. grand jury decided not to indict a white Ferguson, Mo. police officer after the August shooting death of an unarmed black teenager, protest have been sparked across the country, some turning into riots.
The peaceful protesters in Charleston said when they saw Michael Brown, they saw their loved ones
and friends. As well as standing in solidarity with those in Ferguson who feel justice was not served, they stood in solidarity with the person next to them in hopes that preventative measures will be taken so a similar situation never happens in West Virginia.
“We’re one tragedy by law enforcement in this community from being lifted out of obscurity the way Ferguson, Missouri was. We’re not immune to it,” McAllister said.”
She said the group plans to organize more peaceful protests in the future.
The story from Ferguson has also held the attention of politicians in the state, both local and national.
Like many others, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin has watched the events unfold as a small community north of St. Louis reacts.
“There had to be an awful lot brewing in Ferguson, Missouri before this horrific tragedy happened,” Manchin said. “There had to be some tensions, there had to be somebody not communicating, somebody not reaching out.”
Although not a the protest, Manchin would have agreed with the methods used in Charleston as he said violence and riots will not make a difference, no matter one’s stance on the issue.
“[The riots] we saw on television the other night is not going to change the grand jury’s verdict. With that being said, if there’s not evidence that came forth, we need to bring that. If it wasn’t done in the proper way, then we need to do it in a proper way. I’m hoping that cooler heads will prevail and leaders will step forward.”