Drive For Justice Protest Calls For End To Police Brutality

BEL AIR, MD — A group of social justice activists took to the streets of Harford County Sunday, drawing attention to those who have lost their lives at the hands of police. The car caravan held by the Drive For Justice traveled from Fallston to Bel Air Sunday afternoon.

Vehicles decked out with signs that said "Black Lives Matter" and other messages promoting racial equality traveled from Fallston High School to Baltimore Pike in Bel Air.

The route ended in the Sears parking lot at the Harford Mall, where protesters read the names of victims of police brutality, including Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Freddie Gray and others.

Councilman Andre Johnson, who represents Edgewood and Joppatowne, was among a handful of those who spoke, and he said he was "hurting" in part because between the time he prepared his remarks and Sunday's event, another Black man was shot by police.

Jacob Blake, 29, was shot in the back Sunday, Aug. 23, when officers were called to a domestic dispute in Kenosha, Wis. A witness recorded police following Blake around his SUV, grabbing him by the shirt, and opening fire on him several times as he entered his car while his children were apparently seated inside. Blake survived the shooting. The video went viral, and Kenosha has seen widespread protests ever since.

"I'm just sick and tired of Black lives not mattering," Johnson said. "When will we have the same freedoms and have the same rights as white folks? I'm just at a loss for words."

He encouraged people to educate themselves before the November election and vote for those representing their interests.

"It's really as if Black folks have got to sit up here and explain why we're Black and why we matter," Johnson said.

Organizers called for people to turn their pain into change, speaking for those who could not speak for themselves who were brutalized based on the color of their skin.

"Say their names," organizers said. "We cannot become numb."

This was the second event hosted by the Drive For Justice. Another was held in late July in Baltimore County.