Massive march in Henrico aims to 'make the world a better place'

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- Police shut down a busy eastern Henrico street on Sunday afternoon as hundreds marched and rallied for change.

Families filled the St. Paul’s Baptist Church parking lot on Creighton Road for the “Call to Action March and Rally.”

While dozens lined the two-mile route, hundreds chanted and held signs as they walked down Creighton Road to the Eastern Henrico Recreation Center on North Laburnum Avenue.

“This is a peaceful march so we want to be an example of how things should be,” said Terrell Pollard, the political action chair for the Henrico County NAACP. “We expect diversity, we expect inclusion and everyone to be treated fairly.”

The march came after more than a week of protests across the Commonwealth and the country following the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man killed by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The group also chanted the name of Breonna Taylor, a black woman fatally shot by officers while she slept in her Louisville home.

“I looked at it as enough is enough,” said Angel, who held a sign that read “peace and blessings.”

Isaiah, 10, marched with his brothers and sisters while holding “Black Lives Matter” signs.

“This shouldn’t be happening right now,” he said. “Make the world a better place.”

WTVR CBS 6 Photojournalist Chris Jenkins

The march was well-attended by local and state leaders, law enforcement, school board members, supervisors and lawmakers.

Henrico Police stopped traffic to allow the massive crowd to walk down the center of Creighton Road as drivers honked their horns in support.

Henrico NAACP President Raiford Beasley said the march showed people if they want change they have to participate in action.

“We have to fight for the rights of our children to be seen as citizens in this community,” he said. “We also need to make sure part of that process is how they can take control of their government and take control of their destiny.”

Beasley hoped the community didn't lose sight of the other pertinent issues in the county like the importance of voting and completing the census.

The group then registered people to vote at their destination.

“We just want to be visible and shine light on the things that’s going wrong,” Pollard explained.