Naperville Rally
Unity Partnership hosted a Naperville rally at the Millennium Carillon for a call to action in response to what happened to George Floyd and racial incidents in the community.
The crowd stood in silence for four minutes, about half the time of the nearly nine minutes that a police officer held his knee on the neck of George Floyd.
“We are pretty exhausted and fed up with it. We are feeling like we’re not safe where we live as African-American, Chinese, Latino people,” said Regina Brent, founder and president of Unity Partnership. “So when the outrage of Mr. George Floyd happened in Minnesota, we figured you know what, enough is enough.”
Rally-goers held signs that read “stop killing black people” and “black lives matter” as they listened to multiple speakers.
“We are not ok. We are sick of dying. We are tired of living in fear,” said Naperville Councilman Benny White.
“We all have the same liberty and god given right to be who we are, to live, and yes to breathe. We all have the right to breathe,” said DuPage County Board Member, Greg Hart.
Taking Action
Many of the speakers believe rallies are necessary, but think action is needed. Some community members agree.
“Hatred is one of the evils that Martin Luther King gave us as a sin. And so it is time to get rid of the hatred in our country, said community member Connie Brown. “And it’s time to roll our sleeves up and do something about it.”
Starting tomorrow, Unity Partnership will be advocating for a plan of action to ask public officials and law enforcement in DuPage County to change legislation.
They are looking for stricter rules, like fining anyone who imposes racism.
Naperville News 17’s Aysha Ashley Househ reports.
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