Eastern Shore rallies protest death of George Floyd

By Jimmy Shockley

Rallies took place in multiple Eastern Shore of Virginia towns last week, including Exmore, Accomac and Chincoteague, protesting national incidents of racism and police misconduct.

“I wanted to bring everybody together,” said Kaliyah Weatherly, who was one of the organizers of the Justice for George Floyd event held in Exmore on Saturday.

The event began with an 8-minute, 46-second moment of silence that represented the amount of time authorities said George Floyd was fatally asphyxiated by a Minnesota police officer.

Speakers in Exmore included Northampton County Sheriff David Doughty, Exmore Police Chief Angelo DiMartino, the Rev. Kelvin Jones, the Rev. Quintavion Washington, and Dr. Arthur Carter.

Those gathered marched around the block in Exmore starting from the park, joined by Doughty and DiMartino.

Earlier Saturday, a rally was held in Accomac called a “Peaceful Protest” that saw hundreds of marchers walk from the courthouse to the library and back.

“I’m glad to see there’s a lot of people of color as well as non-people of color,” said Shanyette Dickerson, one of the organizers of the event.

Once at the library, the organizers also held an 8-minute, 46-second moment of silence memorializing Floyd.

Last Wednesday on Chincoteague Island, a Black Lives Matter rally was held that drew a large crowd.

“Today we are standing together united as one voice,” said Samantha Kelly, who was one of the organizers of the rally.

The protests went on without incident, unlike some of the other protests across the country.

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