Dozens peacefully rally in Norton, Virginia in response to George Floyd's death

Norton, Va. — Dozens of community members rallied peacefully in Norton, Virginia on Monday in response to the death of George Floyd. Many held signs reading, "Justice for George Floyd," & "Black Lives Matter."

To read more about the death of George Floyd, click here.

The Wise County Sheriff's Office, the Norton Police Department and Virginia State Police were on hand as a precaution.

“We want to protect our people, make sure they have a voice and they have the right to assemble peacefully, lawfully and express their concerns,” says Wise County Sheriff, Grant Kilgore. “I think we share a pretty good relationship with the public we serve. We have some great people in our communities; we trust them, and I feel like they trust us. We want to maintain that relationship."

UVA Wise political analyst, Heather Evans says protests get voices heard.

"For people to wake up and see that there are problems. There is systemic racism and there are some changes that need to happen nationwide," says Evans.

One Minneapolis police officer involved in Floyd's death is charged with murder. Click here to learn more.

“If you don’t have government efficacy and if you feel like you can’t make a change in government, you take to protesting. You need to make your voice heard,” says Evans.

Jahmal Potter attended Monday's rally in Norton, Virginia. Watch his full interview with WCYB below:

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam declared a state of emergency after protests in Richmond turned violent over the weekend. The declaration allows him to use additional resources like Virginia National Guard to help keep communities safe. To learn more about the declaration, click here.