Black Lives Matter protest held in Wausau

“I can’t breathe,” were the words George Floyd spoke in his final moments, pinned to the ground, an officer’s knee on his neck while in police custody in Minneapolis. “I can’t breathe” was painted on Chris Norfleet’s sign that he held during Friday’s Black Lives Matter silent protest that took place along Grand Avenue in downtown Wausau.

“I didn’t know George, but I am George,” said Norfleet, who has been very vocal about civil rights and the challenges black Americans face in our country. “I’ve been in his position. I know that sensation; I know that fear. I know that sense of ‘Are they going to stop?’”

Norfleet was joined by an estimated 150 to 200 community members at the square across the street from the Marathon Courthouse. the protest everything but silent as vehicles drove past on what was an overcast Friday afternoon, drivers blaring their horns in support of the cause.

Darrell Keaton, Sr. chose to stand in the same square earlier this week, holding signs showing support for George Floyd with his two granddaughters. He was overwhelmed with the extra support they had on Friday.

“Black people can’t do it alone,” he said. “We are going to have to have good white people stand alongside of us.”

People of all races and ethnicities joined together to show support for a community that has a long history of having to endure racial injustice and discrimination.

“There have been protests before in America under these circumstances,” Norfleet explained. “Black people have stood up, and we have gotten complicit right afterwards. To me, if we don’t do nothing when it’s peaceful, becoming outraged when something bad happens isn’t good enough.”

A demand for change; a demand for action. A call that is being heard throughout the United States as protests, demonstrations, and riots fill the streets of cities like Milwaukee, Atlanta, Louisville, and of course Minneapolis.

While Wausau is small in comparison to those cities, Mayor Katie Rosenberg, who was at the protest along with Wausau Police Chief Ben Bliven and Deputy Police Chief Matt Barnes, said the impact can help more than just central Wisconsin.

“I’m pleased that everyone can come together and demonstrate peacefully,” Mayor Rosenberg said. “We’re connected. We are so connected, more than ever. Our economies are connected, our families are connected. It’s important that we stand up for what’s right.”

Another protest is set to take place at 10 a.m. on June 6 on The 400 Block in downtown Wausau.