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Hundreds march in Alpena following Floyd death

News Photo by Julie Riddle Peaceful protesters march today in downtown Alpena.

ALPENA — Across the river they marched, signs high, voices chanting.

“Black lives matter,” came a solitary cry, echoed back from a hundred voices: “Black lives matter.”

Pouring onto the bright blue footbridge across the Thunder Bay River from the sloped lawn behind the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center in downtown Alpena, people of all ages and skin colors joined to walk a loop around the heart of the city to make a statement with their feet, their words, and their presence.

In communities across the nation, protests and marches are marking public discontent with racism, sparked by the death of George Floyd — a black man killed on May 25 when a police officer in Minneapolis knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes while Floyd was in handcuffs.

Alpena, with black people making up 1% of its population, has been host to two walks promoting peace and justice, one on Wednesday and the second on Saturday.

News Photo by Julie Riddle Rallying to plead for justice for black people and others, marchers walk through downtown Alpena on Saturday during a peaceful protest.

Striding at a fast clip, the walkers — some clutching hand-lettered signs, others wearing shirts emblazoned with messages of hope or encouragement — walked purposefully, faces serious, eyes determined.

“No justice, no peace,” they called. “Enough is enough. Black lives matter.”

In the moments of silence between the chants, above the sound of hundreds of feet united in a common cause, the signs spoke, raised high in the morning sunshine.

“We’re all the same on the inside,” they said.

“Make racism wrong again.”

News Photo by Julie Riddle

“When hate is loud, love must not be silent.”

Most of the marchers were white. Many were young — teens and 20-somethings, some leading chants, voices rich with feeling.

Others were older — in their 30s, 50s, 70s. Some brought their dogs. Some brought their kids.

“The new racism is to deny that racism exists,” read a sign.

At the Alpena Public Safety Building, firefighters stood respectfully in the ambulance bays, nodding to marchers.

News Photo by Julie Riddle Marchers carry signs supporting peace and justice at a peace walk on Saturday in downtown Alpena.

Across the street, a man sat on his front porch.

“Go back to Detroit,” he yelled at the walkers. “We don’t want you here.”

A threesome of young women in the middle of the marching pack passed the rubble of the burned Habitat for Humanity ReStore on Chisholm Street, the historic stone steps of St. Bernard Church, a tiny barber shop recently put out of business by a virus.

“We need to spread love and not hate,” said Breann Daleski, chants following her down the sidewalk. “If things aren’t right, we need to make a stand. This is making a difference.”

“When black lives matter, all lives will matter,” added Alpena High School student Eva Smith. “And we’ll all be equal.”

The throng, its tail still wrapped around the corner of Chisholm Street and 7th Avenue, swept past downtown shops — chanting, marching, holding signs — while passing drivers honked their support.

As the pack crossed a street to flood over the 2nd Avenue bridge, a police officer stood in the intersection, hand raised, making sure no cars endangered the walkers.

Tennis shoes and sandals and sunhats passed beneath the archway entrance to the Alpena Bi-Path. A girl, with glasses, brown skin, and a joyful grin, raised a young, vibrant voice, leading the walkers around her in a chant.

“What do we want?” she called, and the voices called back, “Justice!”

“When do we want it?” she asked the crowd.

“Now!” they hollered back.

“Everyone is human, no matter what their skin color really is,” said Carmen Townsend, not quite 12 years old, who moved to Alpena recently with her mom and has had to shrug off comments about her skin color from other children. “Black lives matter. Everybody’s lives matter.”

Her mother, Natalie Taylor, is a social worker in Alpena. She was concerned, as a person of color, that there might not be any reaction to Floyd’s death in rural Northeast Michigan.

It’s comforting, she said, to know people here are thinking about it.

While she loves Alpena’s beauty, she’s not sure if she’ll stick around in a city where only 100 out of 10,000 people are black, and where racism, though not rampant, is still a presence felt by those whose skin color doesn’t match the majority.

“Think about staying,” an Alpena Police Department officer told Taylor. “Consider Alpena as one of those communities that can have that discussion without burning buildings and breaking down windows.”

Back at the Maritime Heritage Center, marchers streamed back onto the grassy hill, standing, sitting, panting a little after the fast-paced walk, waiting as more and more people ribboned down the sidewalk, filling the grass.

Bullhorn in hand, event organizer Marie Fielder challenged the crowd.

When they’re eating at a restaurant, and a person of color walks in, and someone makes a derogatory comment, what would they do?

Sitting silently isn’t the answer, she told them.

Her Native American heritage leaving her too-familiar with the fears and hurts caused by racism, Fielder spoke of the need for law enforcement use-of-force policies written with the input of multiple cultures. She advocated for hiring policies throughout the city, from police stations to schools to post offices, that are inclusive of minorities.

“Diversity overcomes adversity,” she told the crowd. “It makes Northeast Michigan a stronger place to live.”

A young man with a black shirt and white face stood near the seated crowd, quietly holding a sign.

“I see you,” it said. “I hear you. I will never understand. But, with you I will stand.”

As Fielder put down her bullhorn, a voice from the crowd called, “When’s the next protest?”

“Tomorrow!” cried an eager young woman.

“Every day!” called another, to laughter and nods.

Slowly the crowd began to disperse, snatches of mask-muffled conversation dotting the air as they talked about racism.

About their favorite bands that stand up for justice.

About George Floyd.

“They’re the same,” said Amelia Heinemann, who just turned 8, her blue eyes taking in the multi-hued crowd. “It’s just the color of their skin. I think all of us, even if it’s an ant, or the biggest creature, should be treated equally.”

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