University of Missouri students protest peacefully through Columbia
COLUMBIA Mo. (KMIZ)
Protests spilled into the streets of Columbia on Sunday after George Floyd, a black man, was killed in police custody in Minneapolis on Memorial Day.
Kaija Caldwell, an MU student says people in Columbia have the ability to make an impact even though it is not a major city.
"This is a problem for all human beings," Caldwell said. "This isn't just a black problem, this isn't just a white supremacy problem, this is a problem for everyone and everyone plays a part in eradicating this problem. Use your voice, if you're an ally, be an ally use your voice use your platform."
The peaceful protests began at 2 p.m. at the quad on campus, then migrated up to Broadway and down College Ave.
People from all different backgrounds participated in the protest carrying signs regarding equality and justice for George Floyd.
Christian Bell, an MU student said it was important to him to keep the protests peaceful.
"The big cities around the country is a lot of people are protesting, I mean, not all of it is in the right way, but I mean it's all for the right cause," Bell said. "We figured we'd bring some people out here we go March downtown and we protest peacefully."
Protestors switched between various chants including "say his name, George Floyd" and "black lives matter."
"It's no reason that someone should be saying 'I can't breathe,' or it's no reason that somebody should be saying, 'Man, I'm dying,' and you still have your knee on him," Bell said. "It's a, it's a clear injustice being done."
Jalen Calhoun, another MU student who participated in the protest, said its all about being heard.
"Past three months, a lot of racism is being shown and at the same time, we're here to bring awareness. It shouldn't come down to color no more, it's not about color anymore you know it's about everybody," Calhoun said. "As a human being, you shouldn't want to see another human being, being hurt, slandered, it's just, you know, racism, it has to end."
