POUGHKEEPSIE — Local churchgoers in Poughkeepsie gathered to walk for peace amidst racial tension across the U.S. in the wake of Minneapolis resident George Floyd’s death by asphyxiation, allegedly by a policeman two weeks ago.
The walk was organized by Michelle Williams, Sonia Brown and Regina Johnson, a group that Poughkeepsie Mayor Rob Rolison affectionately nicknamed the “Prayer Trio.”
Rolison offered his own remarks at the end of the walk, which went from Mansion Square Park to Victor C. Waryas Park.
“Right now, more than any time that I can ever remember in my 61 years of life, we need love,” he said. “We need to tell one another, how much we care about them, even if we don’t know them.”
As a retired police officer, Rolison stated during the walk that he “absolutely” believes real change will emerge in relations between law enforcement and people of color.
Johnson explained how the walk came about.
“God put a fire in us that we just could not quench until we said yes, and released his will for this prayer walk,” he said. “That’s how it happened. We just said yes.”
Like Rolison, Johnson also believes that the death of George Floyd is a turning point.
“We have to be the example to everyone else who is so filled with hate and anger. It is not that we don’t understand it but we know there is a better way to handle it,” she said.
Floyd’s death has inspired a chain reaction of protests and calls for peace across the world. In the U.S., protests have been held in 500 cities thus far, while 40 countries have seen protests either in solidarity with those in the U.S. or to fight against their own issues with racism.
NEWS STORY PROVIDED BY: Mid Hudson News -www.midhudsonnews.com