NORFOLK — Voices rang out as the sun set in downtown Norfolk when demonstrators and supporters of the #Shutdown757 made their way up and down Granby Street.
Protesters of all races, genders and ages showed up to the Greyhound Bus Station parking lot near the NEON District as the march began Monday at 7:57 p.m.
Participants made their way down Granby Street with the help of escorts from local law enforcement.
The protest was a part of a five-city movement that began as a social media campaign organized by BlackLivesMatter757. The cause called for protesters to host marches in Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Hampton, Newport News and Portsmouth as a way to raise awareness of specific issues they say plague the respective communities.
According to Shanise Williams, who led the Norfolk march, it was to raise awareness about issues of racial inequities in the city.
“We no longer want to argue over whose life matters more,” Williams said. “We want to accept the fact that there has been a low value placed on the lives of black people, and people are accepting that and they’re willing to fight for changing that, so we are here as one unified front to show that Virginia is a place of lovers of all faces and all races.”
No person looking to participate was turned away, Williams added, as she believed the night’s protest served as a teachable moment on how to organize for a cause they felt was important.
Patrons of local businesses stopped in their tracks as chants of “Black Lives Matter,” and “Whose Streets? Our Streets!” filled Granby Street.
Participants called for peace in the city and fair treatment as more joined in the march as the night continued.
“I’m in support and solidarity because I am a black woman,” said Lafeetah Byrum, who joined the march at the start.
As the protest neared its end, participants like Michael Manson addressed the crowd expressing a message of inclusion and unity.
“When we say black lives matter, all lives matter because we all are in this together if we all want a change and we all want a result, and what we can do for our people so our next generation can survive,” Manson said. “We will do all things it takes and all things that are possible so they might live and not die.”
The demonstration ended peacefully without any arrests.
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