By Jim Newell

Review Editor, and

Megan Kelley

Review Writer

Nearly 1,000 people gathered Friday evening in the parking lot of the Lake Orion Plaza on M-24 and E. Clarkston Road to rally for the Black Lives Matter movement, calling for an end to racism, police brutality against African Americans and unity among everyone.

They chanted the names of those who had been killed by police, or, in the case of Ahmaud Arbery, armed residents:

George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died in Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 25, after white police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes while Floyd was handcuffed and lying face down on the street, telling officers he couldn’t breathe.

On March 13, 2020, Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old African-American emergency medical technician, was fatally shot by Louisville Metro Police Department officers who forced entry into her apartment in under the authority of a search warrant. She was shot and killed in her bed. The department’s investigation was searching for two people who were already in police custody and suspected of selling controlled substances from a house more than 10 miles away.

On February 23, 2020, Ahmaud Arbery, an unarmed 25-year-old African-American man, was fatally shot near Brunswick in Glynn County, Georgia, while out jogging. Arbery had been pursued and confronted by two white residents, Travis McMichael and his father Gregory, who were armed and driving a pickup truck.

Lake Orion resident Antoine Peoples went to the Black Lives Matter rally with his wife and two young sons.

“We thought it was very important for us to be out here. My wife, Sara, actually helped to organize it. We thought it was important to bring a voice to Lake Orion for the movement that’s going on against police brutality. We feel that it needs to be said, and it needs to be shown, that everybody should be treated equally under the law and if there are bad apples in the police department that they should be held accountable for their actions,” Peoples said.

Those who spoke shared their experiences with racism, how they, or someone they knew, were affected by racism, and universally called for an end to discrimination and hate.

And what most wanted was lasting change – to ensure that people of color are not persecuted by police, that no more African Americans die from police brutality and that their voices are heard.

Lt. Dan Toth, commander of the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Orion Township Substation said he and his deputies and the Lake Orion Police Department had been working with rally/march organizers and that they were listening.

Police from both departments also attended the rally and joined the marchers as they walked to downtown Lake Orion chanting.

“We worked with the organizers all week on this and we were proud to help them pull this off today. And it wasn’t easy because everyone has an opinion. But they truly do have a valuable message and you just have to shut up and listen,” Toth said. “And that’s why we were here. We understand that what happened in Minneapolis should not have happened. We support this and we want everyone to know that Orion Strong is not afraid to hold something like this. We’re not fearful of our citizens, of having that community relations.

“And it’s gone extremely well. We have a lot of different groups that are represented, from different opinions, but we’re not afraid to talk about it,” Toth said.

Tammy Evans, 21, a Lake Orion resident and Central Michigan University graduate who helped organize the rally and emceed throughout the event, urged people to continue to address topics of racism and not “wait until a black person is persecuted.”

“Like many other people I saw what was happening in the media and I was just shocked. I definitely was concerned and wanted to help out,” said Evans, who had planned on attending a rally in Detroit but decided to help get one going Orion.

Many of those who went to the rally and participated in the march were young people – in their teens and twenties – but many parents also brought their young children.

Peoples said the event was an important learning experience for youth, and his five children of varying ages attended with him.

“I felt it was very important to bring my children here, that they come up here and experience this. This is a historical moment. Hopefully it’s going to be a change in the culture of our country. We want this to continue going forward. We want to see police reforms going forward. We just want equality for everyone,” Peoples said. “Despite the few comments online against this, everyone showed up and we’re going to have a good night tonight. Obviously, there’s a problem in this country, and globally, and all you can do is keep moving forward, keep progressing. This is just the start.”

After the rally, supporters marched to downtown Lake Orion, holding their signs high for the passing cars to see, chanting “Black Lives Matter”, “Say her name – Breonna Taylor”, “Say his name – George Floyd” and “No Justice, No Peace.”

“We expect accountability for our law enforcement. We’re not against law enforcement, but we would like for them to be accountable for the bad apples that are in their departments,” Peoples said.

Evans said the message of the evening is that racism cannot be tolerated and Black Lives Matter.

“I think people misunderstand a little about what’s going on. People think it’s a fight against the cops, and I just want to say it’s a fight against racism. The (Orion) cops will be her in support of us. They’ve been kind and courteous and they want to hear us out and make change. I just really want people to make change in a respectful, peaceful way,” Evans said.

“I’m hoping for a big turnout, the more voices the better. Even if it’s 50 people that’s better than nothing. And all the support we’ve been getting online means a lot,” Evans said. “I’ve grown up here my whole life but I don’t think I’ve ever been that confronted up until now. People are starting to talk about it more,” Evans said.

As one of the organizers, Evans said she receives messages from people who are against the Black Lives Matter rally.

“My direct messages have just been flooded with people who are opposed to what we’re doing here, they’re just straight out making racist comments and I’ve never seen that before,” Evans said. “Seeing that, it really changes something inside of you and you realize it’s actually a problem.”

“I’ve been trying my hardest to make it known that this is going to be peaceful, with love and empathy. No violence. No judgment,” Evans said.

Evans noted that she’s been in contact with local police, who she said were “more than happy to join in.”

“I think the world needs to look at cops that are in support of Black Lives Matter as role models. We need to see that more.

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