RITA COOK / News Editor
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WAXAHACHIE – Last week’s protests in Ellis County began on Thursday in front of the Ellis County African American Hall of Fame on Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.
Dr. Jamel Rasheed, founder of the museum said before the march began, “We can do this peacefully.” They did.
About 200 protesters marched to the Waxahachie courthouse in the center of downtown beginning at around 6:30 p.m.
Police and protesters marched together on their way to the courthouse, with signs that read “Black Lives Matter,” “Listen” and “Being Black Isn’t Voluntary, Hate Is.”
Waxahachie Police Chief Wade Goolsby marched alongside protesters and said his department presence was at the protest because, “We are here to support them and make sure it is a safe event, and we just want them to know we are all in this together.”
The event was organized by Da’Corius Armstrong, a Waxahachie graduate.
During his speech, he stressed the importance of taking part in the political system in the country so that each voice is heard.
Armstrong said, “We gotta come together as one happy family – together.”
Peaceful protests continued in Ellis County over the weekend, with at least two other protests organized in Waxahachie.
One group numbered around 60 on Saturday, and marched from Finley Jr. High School to the Ellis County Courthouse in the square.
At that protest Saturday, protesters spent eight minutes and 46 seconds in silence – the amount of time (now former) Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin held his knee on George Floyd’s neck before he died.
An email message also went out over the weekend by Ellis County resident Nathan Guymon, who did not respond by press time.
His email message was asking residents to meet across the street from protesters in Red Oak over the weekend to show support for local law enforcement.
“Let’s show this city they aren’t the only ones who can protest,” the email said.
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