A day after a peaceful protest in Blacksburg, marking the death of George Floyd last week, community leaders in Montgomery County came together to talk together, about racial injustice.
Blacksburg Police Chief Anthony Wilson told the crowd seated outside the police department how he felt when he heard the news of George Floyd’s death. “My first reaction was absolute, total deflation. I could feel all the air escape from my lungs. I felt nauseous but that feeling was quickly replaced by absolute anger toward the callous indifference of human life that was portrayed. by those who took the very same oath that I did.”
Karen Jones is with the NAACP chapter that comprises Montgomery and Floyd counties, and the city of Radford. “I want to share a message with you all, that we are done dying. This is our national call for action to eradicate the injustices we see across the country. Our community is not immune to the injustices we see across this nation and across our commonwealth. We today are fighting two viruses: COVID-19 and racism.”
The gathering outside the Blacksburg police station was arranged by the “Dialogue on Race,” a local grassroots effort founded eight years ago, to end racial injustice against African Americans.
