WOOD COUNTY, W.Va. — Hundreds of Wood County residents along with people from additional parts of West Virginia and other states are expected to be part of a weekend march and rally in Parkersburg to show support for law enforcement officers.
Sharon Kuhl, a member of Parkersburg’s City Council, has been working with Bob Mercer, a fellow member of council, to plan the “Back the Blue, Back the Badge” march and rally scheduled for 5 p.m. on Saturday.
“We feel as the community comes together, they (law enforcement officers) will fully know that we’ve got their back,” Kuhl said of the message she hoped the event would send.
“We grew up to respect the police officers. The only thing between us and complete mayhem is police. We call the police for everything.”
The event was designed to include Parkersburg, Williamstown and Vienna along with Wood County as a whole.
It was scheduled in response to nationwide protests calling for police reforms and, in some cases, police defunding in the aftermath of the deaths of African Americans, including George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, at the alleged hands of police officers.
The Saturday Parkersburg rally will follow a march on Market Street from Eighth Street to Second Street.
“We want this to be a peaceful rally. We definitely are not anticipating any problems. We’re praying that there are no problems,” Kuhl said.
“Our main goal is just to let our law enforcement know that these communities, the communities of Wood County, have got their back.”
Ahead of the march and rally, Parkersburg Mayor Tom Joyce has issued a “Back the Blue Day” proclamation.
Last weekend, a similar “Back the Blue” rally was held at West Virginia’s State Capitol.