Hundreds Line Streets Of Centreville To Protest Police Violence

CENTREVILLE, VA — Hundreds of mostly young people converged on Centreville Friday night during a rainstorm to protest the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and call for major reforms of police departments across the United States. Many drivers honked their horns in support of the protesters who lined the streets at the intersection of Machen Road and St. Germain Drive, near Route 29.

Most of the protesters were holding homemade signs with the name of Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man who died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes. On their signs, protesters remembered other African Americans killed by police, including Breonna Taylor, Kendra James and Mike Brown.

One protester, an African American man from the Centreville area who declined to be named, told Patch that he wasn't surprised to see the large crowd show up in his hometown for the Friday night protest. "Most people here are very supportive and kind," he said.

The Fairfax County Police Department did not have a visible presence at the protest. The man said it was unnecessary for the police to show up in large numbers at the protest because the crowd was peaceful. "If they showed up, it would cause fear," he said.

"The police have been responding to the protests against police brutality with more brutality," the man said, referring to how protesters have been attacked in other cities across the country. "They haven't listened to the people. They haven't shown any empathy. They've shown no concern. And they're not listening. So we're going to keep doing this until they hear us."

Protests have popped up across Fairfax County over the past several days in response to Floyd's death. On Wednesday, more than a thousand people gathered at the Fairfax County Government Center to protest the death of Floyd. Similar to the Centreville protest, police kept a low profile Wednesday night at the rally organized by the Fairfax County National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Fairfax County Police Chief Edwin C. Roessler Jr. spoke at Wednesday's rally, emphasizing how his department has sought to improve its relationship with the community. He noted that the county has a Police Civilian Review Panel that provides a layer of independent oversight of the police department. The panel reviews completed FCPD investigations into complaints containing allegations of abuse of authority or serious misconduct.

Elsewhere in Fairfax County, hundreds showed up to protest racial injustice in Vienna Wednesday evening. The event on the Town Green remained peaceful, and most attendees wore face masks.

A Black Lives Matter rally in Burke in response to the death of Floyd and other black Americans had a sizable turnout Thursday afternoon. The rally was held at the intersection of Burke Centre Parkway and Roberts Parkway.

Early Thursday evening, a long line of cars wended its way through the streets of Herndon to raise awareness of racial injustice and police brutality. Herndon resident Nikki Pugh came up with the idea for the Herndon Car Rally - Justice for Black Lives following similar protests in the wake of Floyd's death.