WATCH: Locals join wave of police brutality protests

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People marched and protested against police brutality in Junction City’s Heritage Park Friday evening. (Dene Dryden | Collegian Media Group)

More than a hundred locals peacefully protested and marched against police brutality Friday afternoon. From the 100 or so people in Junction City to those lined up along Anderson Avenue in Manhattan, area residents were out wearing shirts and holding signs with messages like “Black Lives Matter” and “Stop the Hate.”

“No justice, no peace,” some participants chanted.

In Junction City, people gathered at Heritage Park at the Washington and Sixth Street intersection.

“Black lives do matter, and all lives cannot matter until black lives do,” Junction City resident Devon Hawkins said.

Organizer Michael Turner said he was called to organize this protest following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, earlier this week — a police-involved incident that has spurned multiple nights of protest in the Twin Cities and around the country.

Breonna Taylor, a black woman from Kentucky, was also killed in a police-related incident in March.

Drivers honked their support as they passed the protestors spread out around the park.

People lined the streets in Manhattan to show their support as well.

People along Anderson Avenue join in with protests across the United States who are taking a stance against police brutality. These demonstrations come on the heels of the death of George Floyd, a black man who was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
People along Anderson Avenue join in with protests across the United States who are taking a stance against police brutality. These demonstrations come on the heels of the death of George Floyd, a black man who was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Dene Dryden | Collegian Media Group)

Manhattanite Hannah Gomez said she saw one protestor on the corner on Thursday. She went home and got some friends together to make signs. They stationed themselves along Anderson near Sparrow Specialty Coffee starting at 4 p.m. and stayed for hours.

Saturday morning, another peaceful protest is scheduled to meet in Triangle Park in Manhattan. A Facebook event page has the protest starting at 10 a.m. More than 100 people have indicated that they plan to attend.

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I'm Dene Dryden, and I graduated in May 2020 with a Bachelor's of Arts in English. Before graduating, I worked at the Collegian for more than three years as a copy chief, managing editor and editor-in-chief. I also served a term on the Collegian Media Group Board of Directors. While at K-State, I also worked at Wildcat 91.1 FM. My cat Robyn is the light of my life, and I take compliments in the form of coffee.