Hundreds march through Warner Robins in ‘Unity in Community’ protest

Raising their voices in unity to shout, “No justice, no peace,” “I can’t breathe,” and “Black Lives Matter,” marchers filled the eastbound lanes of Watson Boulevard for several blocks in a protest Saturday.

Many carried signs such as “Say Their Names” or “Equal Justice for All,” as they made the nearly two-and-a-half mile trek from the At Home Store to city hall.

Some who couldn’t walk in the “Unity in Community Protest” rode one of the church buses that came behind the marchers. Some of the youngest participants rode in baby carriages.

At one point during the protest, marchers paused for a moment of silence and took a knee. Many raised one fist in the air as they knelt.

A family effort

A Bonaire family said they joined the protest in response to the Minnesota police killing of George Floyd.

“But it’s in response to all of it, really — all of the deaths, all of the injustices,” said 47-year-old Dena Hobbs. “This is a time where white people are waking up to the systemic racism that the Black community has suffered for hundreds and hundreds of years, and if we join together at this moment, we can make a difference for our whole nation to make it more fair, more equal for those who need it so badly.”

Her husband, 46-year-old Jason Hobbs, noted, “This is an important time, an important moment that lots of folks are coming together ... to recognize the systemic racism that’s been in our country for a long time. For a lot of people, they haven’t recognized it. The impact of the video of George Floyd’s death has brought a lot of awareness to folks who may not have been aware of it.”

Their daughter, 17-year-old Libby Hobbs, added, “The other thing is we want to be on the right side of history because this is going to be history changing. So, we want to be on the right side of it and not look back at it and tell our grandchildren, ‘Oh, I didn’t do anything.’ “

Her brother, 15-year-old Elijah Hobbs echoed that sentiment, “You don’t want to wake up one day and think I should have participated in that and helped out.”

The community speaks

Adrienne Gowens marched because, “Black lives matter.”

“Definitely all lives matter, but Black lives matter because we feel like we’ve not been heard,” the 52-year-old Gowens said. “We’re not respected, and we just really want people to know that we are valuable just like everybody else.”

Her hope for the protest and others like them across the country is that they’ll foster unity.

“We’re all going to have differences. That’s a given. But we can all work together, and I think that’s important for us to realize that we can all work together and our differences make us so much better,” Gowens said.

Shonda Vogel, 32, of Macon, and Christina Shubert, 29, of Warner Robins, marched in support of “basic human rights.”

“Systemic racism is a huge problem in this country and a lot of people don’t want to face that, don’t want to deal with it, and we just wanted to do basically anything we can,” Vogel said.

The two carried signs and wore gray face masks — due to COVID-19 — with the hashtag BLM.

“We just decided that even though it’s risky to be out with a bunch of people that we really couldn’t stay home,” Vogel said.

Rally together

At the rally afterward outside the Warner Robins Municipal Complex, the Rev. Rutha Jackson urged those in attendance to call out racism wherever they see it and to take action by voting.

“If you don’t vote, there is no change,” said Jackson, president of the Houston County Chapter of the NAACP, which hosted the protest. “Your vote is your choice.”

Tables were set up at the rally where people could register to vote.

Among the speakers was Warner Robins Police Chief John Wagner, who was joined by Perry Police Chief Steve Lynn and Houston County sheriff’s Maj. Alan Everidge. There were other voices from the NAACP and those of young people as well.

“Honestly, it’s been an eye-opening thing,” said 22-year-old Chase Brown. “It’s really just made me frustrated because this is a thing that’s continued to happen over the years and it’s not even just recent years.

“We’re crying tears not just from George Floyd but also from Emmett Till. So, these are years, decades of frustration that we’re going through, and it’s finally like, ‘Hey, America, you see it on tape so, hey, let’s do something about it.’ When I saw it, it was just that, ‘Enough is enough. We’re done dying. Let’s stand up for what’s right.’ “

Brown said he feels like, “We don’t have a President who has the leadership skills or is doing what’s necessary in order to make things happen.”

He urged people to get out and vote “in order for change to happen.”

“It’s a systemic racism issue. And yes police brutality ... but we haven’t even scratched the surface of education … housing, health equity … sexual harassment, colorism,” Brown said. “Now what we have to do is to get our voices heard. The laws have to be changed.”