Hundreds Rally In Small-Town Purcellville For Racial Justice

PURCELLVILLE, VA — Hundreds of people rallied in Purcellville Sunday afternoon for racial justice and against police brutality. The small town of about 8,000 had never seen anything like what happened Sunday when people of all ages and races marched down Main Street with handmade signs calling for changes in policing policies.

The Loudoun branch of the NAACP and other local organizers and youth partnered to hold the event, which began at 3 p.m. at the corner of Main and Maple streets and ended with a rally outside the Purcellville Town Hall on Nursery Avenue.

U.S. Rep. Jennifer Wexton, who represents Loudoun County in Congress, and Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chair Phyllis Randall were among the marchers. Wexton and Randall, along with Purcellville Police Chief Cynthia McAlister and others, gave speeches at the town hall building.

Purcellville resident Patrick Berish said he "wanted to attend to show small town solidarity with the movement."

"I was proud of the turnout," Berish told Patch.

Purcellville, located in western Loudoun County, has been traditionally a conservative town. The Loudoun Golf and Country Club, located on the western edge of town, long excluded African Americans from becoming members until a lawsuit in the 1980s forced the club to change its polices.

The town is home to Patrick Henry College, a Christian college founded by Michael Farris, a leader of the home-schooling movement.

At a gun shop on Main Street, residents opposed to the message of the protest held a sign that read "all lives matter," with some counterprotesers yelling "white lives matter." One counterprotester with a gun told a marcher that "you all are killing each other in the cities all day long."

For the most part, though, residents expressed pride in the large number of people who showed up for the rally for racial justice.

In a tweet, Wexton said she was "inspired by the young leaders who organized today’s peaceful march in Purcellville."

"Hundreds of Virginians came together to speak out and demand change," Wexton said. "This is a movement for racial justice led by young people — and, as your vongresswoman, I’m with you every step of the way."