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Protestors continue to rally after Ferguson unrest

December 2, 2014
<p>Protesters hold signs as they marched on Dec. 1, 2014 to the State Capitol Building. Protesters marched and rallied to show their support for Michael Brown. Aerika Williams/The State News </p>

Protesters hold signs as they marched on Dec. 1, 2014 to the State Capitol Building. Protesters marched and rallied to show their support for Michael Brown. Aerika Williams/The State News

The “United We Stand March and Peace Rally” started at 6:30 p.m. with a gathering on the corner of St. Joseph Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Participants marched to the steps of the Capitol building, with the crowd chanting a chorus of rally cries, including “Hands up, don’t shoot,” and “Whose streets? Our streets.”

“We want to make it clear that what happened in Ferguson could happen anywhere, anytime,” said Alicia Hicks, a longtime Lansing resident who helped organize the event. “That just isn’t okay, and we want to make sure we stand up for it.”

A police escort guided the protesters from their starting location on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard north to Allegan Street and then east toward the state’s Capitol building. Accompanying the crowd’s chants were drivers honking horns and yelling out windows.

The protesters then gathered at the steps of the capitol and shared stories and prayers from a variety of speakers, including Dionna Hardin of Lansing.

“I really liked getting to speak, it was great,” Hardin said. “The crowd out here very clearly wanted to do something, and our goal was to get everyone a reason to get together and show that everybody’s opinions are valuable.”

Temperatures plunged into the teens Monday night and forced protesters to come heavily bundled up. But despite the frigid temperatures, Hicks said she was happy with the turnout and others were happy to brave the cold in order to be heard.

“I wanted to be part of the voice,” said Lansing resident and MSU alumnus Ja’Nay McClaster. “I think it’s bigger than any one of us, so I wanted to make sure I backed up what I was talking about. I didn’t want it be one of those people who just say they should do something about out, I wanted to actually do something about it.”

At the end of the day, Hicks said the protest was about much more than just the events in Ferguson.

“The message is that we are all human and we all have basic rights. We are all equal and nobody’s life is greater than anybody else’s,” Hicks said.

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