Dozens in North Myrtle Beach protest police brutality following George Floyd’s death
Dozens of people poured out along Main Street in North Myrtle Beach on Tuesday in the hopes their plea for justice will bring an end to the police brutality that resulted in the death of George Floyd.
Nearly 100 people gathered for about two hours to protest police violence and systemic racism after a video went viral of black man, George Floyd, dying as a white Minneapolis police officer put his knee across Floyd’s throat for several minutes during an arrest. During the video, Floyd is heard telling officers he can’t breathe.
Demonstrators carried an array of signs while chanting phrases such as, “black lives matter” and “I can’t breathe” to raise awareness and seek justice for the innocent people who have fallen victim to police misconduct. Throughout their roughly 2-mile march, the group also chanted the names of other black men who have died at the hands of the police.
“I can’t sit back and watch because there has been too much going on for too long and we have to band together as a community to speak up against the injustice,” Socastee resident Shannon Horseman said. “We can’t keep sitting quietly from our homes, we have to get up and do something.”
The protest, organized by North Myrtle Beach teens Livingston Privett and Hailey Hegge, remained peaceful from start to finish with Jay Fernandez, North Myrtle Beach director of public safety, providing a police escort and a route for people to march. Several police officers were also in attendance handing out bottles of water to gatherers.
Prior to their march, Fernandez, who was joined by City Manager Mike Mahaney, led the group in a prayer, later condemning the enforcement methods that ultimately killed Floyd. He further called for the arrest of the three officers who watched Derek Chauvin kneel on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes.
Chauvin has been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
Privett and Hegge said they hadn’t spoken to the police when they organized the rally and were surprised to receive their support.
“This is more than just a protest; it shows that the police are here, they are here for us and they are supporting us,” Privett said. “To get the support of cops even though we are protesting cops and the system, it feels amazing to have their support here and provide us a path to get our message heard.”
The protest began around noon at the former BiLo location on Main Street moving south toward Ocean Boulevard and looped back to the starting spot. Throughout their march, passerby’s honked and shouted in solidarity.
Some in attendance expressed hope, anger, sadness and frustration over the roughly two hours. But as people around her marched down Ocean Boulevard screaming and chanting, Myrtle Beach resident Chanelle Kerr was crying. As one of about 15 black protesters in attendance, she was upset there weren’t more.
“It makes me feel good that so many people came out but I’m also wondering, where are all the black faces?” she questioned. “I love that white people are out protesting but I’m also angry and I feel a little bit isolated.”
While some believe demonstrating will bring change to the nation, Kerr said she feels hopeless right now, adding that she’s afraid of having children and raising them in the current environment. Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina resident Sue Williams said she attended Martin Luther’s Kings church over 50 years ago and hopes the current anger displayed will ignite change.
With demonstrations taking place nationwide- some violent, some peaceful - few have popped up in Horry County in recent days. On Sunday, Myrtle Beach was ground zero for a roughly nine-hour protest that resulted in over two dozen arrests.
One protest started at 10 a.m. in Plyler Park on Ocean Boulevard and moved to the police department on Oak Street. While that lasted about an hour, with some remaining to demonstrate and march along Mr. Joe White Avenue, another group gathered near the police station in the afternoon, resulting in attendees blocking the vehicle entrance to the department and the roadway.
While more tense than the morning protest, police — some SWAT and others in riot gear — forced protesters to move after several warnings. Several people were taken into custody in the process and charged with disorderly conduct or violating the city’s temporary curfew.
Over in Georgetown County, a peaceful protest was held Monday night, with the event organized by tenth-grade Waccamaw High School student Eileen Carter. Reports show nearly 100 people gathered, along with Georgetown County Sheriff Carter Weaver.
Another peaceful protest is scheduled to take place on Sunday at The Market Common in Myrtle Beach from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
This story was originally published June 2, 2020 at 2:56 PM.
