Hundreds Attend ‘Silent Solidarity Walk’ Organized by The 100 Black Men of West Texas
Hundreds of people showed up in downtown Lubbock on Monday evening to support a "Silent Solidarity Walk" organized by The 100 Black Men of West Texas.
The goal of the march was to have a peaceful demonstration while speaking out against ongoing injustice involving law enforcement officers in the wake of the George Floyd killing that occurred one week ago.
Lubbock Mayor Dan Pope, Lubbock City Councilman Steve Massengale, Lubbock City Councilwoman Sheila Patterson-Harris, Texas State Senator Charles Perry, and Lubbock ISD Board of Trustee members Zach Brady and Bill Stubblefield were among the elected officials who attended Monday's event. Lubbock Police Chief Floyd Mitchell and numerous other Lubbock police officers also participated.
The "Silent Solidarity March" started at the Lubbock Police Department headquarters, and ended at the new Citizen's Tower located on 14th Street.
Mayor Pope spoke at LPD headquarters before the march commenced. "The way we protested this weekend was appropriate, it was peaceful, the message was there," he said.
Pope continued: "Four years ago, about this time of year, a number of us, brother Bill (Stubblefield) and I, and some others, got together after the police shootings in Dallas and Baton Rouge; and started meeting as a group. We, for four years, continued to build relationships and build trust. I believe that change only happens at the speed of trust."
Chief Mitchell spoke at both the start and end of the event, focusing on the mantra of "Professional Policing."
After the march arrived at Citizen's Tower, additional speeches were made by Chief Mitchell and Bill Stubblefield.
Stubblefield focused on honoring the lives of unarmed individuals who were killed by law enforcement over the decade, with a moment of silence after the reading of each name. Among the names mentioned were George Floyd, Victor White, Eric Carter, John Crawford III, and Trayvon Martin.
After the second set of speeches concluded, the whole event was over in 30 minutes.