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‘I am not a threat’: Thousands march in Columbia to protest police brutality, death of George Floyd

  • A crowd begins to fill in the Columbia waterfront area...

    Ana Faguy / Baltimore Sun Media Group

    A crowd begins to fill in the Columbia waterfront area after HoCo For Justice sponsors a march from the AMC Columbia 14 movie theater's parking lot to the Columbia Lakefront for a Black Lives Matter vigil on Tuesday, June 2, 2020.

  • Moctar Sidi of Columbia, right, raises his fist with other...

    Brian Krista/Baltimore Sun Media Group

    Moctar Sidi of Columbia, right, raises his fist with other supporters during a protest march, organized by HoCo 4 Justice, at the lakefront in Columbia on Tuesday, June 2.

  • Protest organizers with HoCo 4 Justice, speak to the crowd...

    Brian Krista/Baltimore Sun Media Group

    Protest organizers with HoCo 4 Justice, speak to the crowd at the lakefront in Columbia on Tuesday, June 2.

  • A crowd of demonstrators begin their protest march, organized by...

    Brian Krista/Baltimore Sun Media Group

    A crowd of demonstrators begin their protest march, organized by HoCo 4 Justice, from the mall to the lakefront in Columbia on Tuesday, June 2.

  • A crowd of demonstrators, organized by HoCo 4 Justice, march...

    Brian Krista/Baltimore Sun Media Group

    A crowd of demonstrators, organized by HoCo 4 Justice, march down Little Patuxent Parkway from the mall to the lakefront in Columbia on Tuesday, June 2.

  • A crowd of demonstrators, organized by HoCo 4 Justice, march...

    Brian Krista/Baltimore Sun Media Group

    A crowd of demonstrators, organized by HoCo 4 Justice, march down Little Patuxent Parkway from the mall to the lakefront in Columbia on Tuesday, June 2.

  • A crowd of demonstrators begin their protest march, organized by...

    Brian Krista/Baltimore Sun Media Group

    A crowd of demonstrators begin their protest march, organized by HoCo 4 Justice, from the mall to the lakefront in Columbia on Tuesday, June 2.

  • A crowd of demonstrators line up for a protest march,...

    Brian Krista/Baltimore Sun Media Group

    A crowd of demonstrators line up for a protest march, organized by HoCo 4 Justice, from the mall to the lakefront in Columbia on Tuesday, June 2.

  • A crowd of demonstrators, organized by HoCo 4 Justice, march...

    Brian Krista/Baltimore Sun Media Group

    A crowd of demonstrators, organized by HoCo 4 Justice, march down Little Patuxent Parkway from the mall to the lakefront in Columbia on Tuesday, June 2.

  • Howard County resident Saquan Maxwell, an organizer with HoCo 4...

    Brian Krista/Baltimore Sun Media Group

    Howard County resident Saquan Maxwell, an organizer with HoCo 4 Justice, speaks to the crowd of supporters at the lakefront in Columbia on Tuesday, June 2.

  • Howard County residents Saquan Maxwell, an organizer by HoCo 4...

    Brian Krista/Baltimore Sun Media Group

    Howard County residents Saquan Maxwell, an organizer by HoCo 4 Justice, speaks to the crowd of supporters at the lakefront in Columbia on Tuesday, June 2.

  • Supports gather at the Columbia lakefront for a protest march,...

    Brian Krista/Baltimore Sun Media Group

    Supports gather at the Columbia lakefront for a protest march, organized by HoCo 4 Justice on Tuesday, June 2.

  • Howard County resident Gina Best, talks about her daughter India...

    Brian Krista/Baltimore Sun Media Group

    Howard County resident Gina Best, talks about her daughter India Kager, killed by the hands of police, as a fellow protester holds a picture of her, during a demonstration organized by HoCo 4 Justice, at the lakefront in Columbia on Tuesday, June 2.

  • A crowd of demonstrators begin their protest march, organized by...

    Brian Krista/Baltimore Sun Media Group

    A crowd of demonstrators begin their protest march, organized by HoCo 4 Justice, from the mall to the lakefront in Columbia on Tuesday, June 2.

  • A demonstator holds a sign as the crowd prepares for...

    Brian Krista/Baltimore Sun Media Group

    A demonstator holds a sign as the crowd prepares for a protest march, organized by HoCo 4 Justice, from the mall to the lakefront in Columbia on Tuesday, June 2.

  • A crowd of demonstrators begin their protest march, organized by...

    Brian Krista/Baltimore Sun Media Group

    A crowd of demonstrators begin their protest march, organized by HoCo 4 Justice, from the mall to the lakefront in Columbia on Tuesday, June 2.

  • A crowd of protestors pass thru the Whole Foods parking...

    Brian Krista/Baltimore Sun Media Group

    A crowd of protestors pass thru the Whole Foods parking lot during a protest march, organized by HoCo 4 Justice, from the mall to the lakefront in Columbia on Tuesday, June 2.

  • A crowd of demonstrators, organized by HoCo 4 Justice, march...

    Brian Krista/Baltimore Sun Media Group

    A crowd of demonstrators, organized by HoCo 4 Justice, march down Little Patuxent Parkway from the mall to the lakefront in Columbia on Tuesday, June 2.

  • Protesters in the crowd listen to a speaker during a...

    Brian Krista/Baltimore Sun Media Group

    Protesters in the crowd listen to a speaker during a demonstration organized by HoCo 4 Justice, at the lakefront in Columbia on Tuesday, June 2.

  • A crowd of protestors pass thru the Whole Foods parking...

    Brian Krista/Baltimore Sun Media Group

    A crowd of protestors pass thru the Whole Foods parking lot during a protest march, organized by HoCo 4 Justice, from the mall to the lakefront in Columbia on Tuesday, June 2.

  • Protesters in the crowd hold signs and raise their voices...

    Brian Krista/Baltimore Sun Media Group

    Protesters in the crowd hold signs and raise their voices to be heard, during a demonstration organized by HoCo 4 Justice, at the lakefront in Columbia on Tuesday, June 2.

  • Carlton McArthur of Clarksville holds his nine-year-old daughter Chelsea on...

    Brian Krista/Baltimore Sun Media Group

    Carlton McArthur of Clarksville holds his nine-year-old daughter Chelsea on his shouldes, while showing support for demonstrators during a protest march, organized by HoCo 4 Justice, from the mall to the lakefront in Columbia on Tuesday, June 2.

  • A crowd of demonstrators line up for a protest march,...

    Brian Krista/Baltimore Sun Media Group

    A crowd of demonstrators line up for a protest march, organized by HoCo 4 Justice, from the mall to the lakefront in Columbia on Tuesday, June 2.

  • Protesters in the crowd pause for a moment of silence...

    Brian Krista/Baltimore Sun Media Group

    Protesters in the crowd pause for a moment of silence during a demonstration organized by HoCo 4 Justice, at the lakefront in Columbia on Tuesday, June 2.

  • Across the street from the march route, shoppers come out...

    Ana Faguy / Baltimore Sun Media Group

    Across the street from the march route, shoppers come out to show support in front of Whole Foods. HoCo For Justice is sponsoring a march from the AMC Columbia 14 movie theater's parking lot to the Columbia Lakefront for a Black Lives Matter vigil on Tuesday, June 2, 2020.

  • A crowd of demonstrators, organized by HoCo 4 Justice, march...

    Brian Krista/Baltimore Sun Media Group

    A crowd of demonstrators, organized by HoCo 4 Justice, march down Little Patuxent Parkway from the mall to the lakefront in Columbia on Tuesday, June 2.

  • Shanelle Harrison, a lifelong Howard County resident, holds a sign...

    Ana Faguy / Baltimore Sun Media Group

    Shanelle Harrison, a lifelong Howard County resident, holds a sign as she participates in the HoCo For Justice march from the AMC Columbia 14 movie theater's parking lot to the Columbia Lakefront for a Black Lives Matter vigil on Tuesday, June 2, 2020.

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As Black Lives Matter protests expand outside major cities in the country, thousands gathered in the parking lot of the AMC Columbia 14 movie theater on Tuesday afternoon to participate in a youth-led march and vigil to “honor George Floyd and all the victims of police brutality,” according to organizers.

The large group of mostly young people met around 4 p.m. and marched from The Mall in Columbia to the Columbia Lakefront in a peaceful protest, organized by HoCo For Justice, over the death of Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis police last week.

As the group got ready to start its march, signs could be seen reading, “I am not a threat” and “We matter.”

Protesters in Baltimore have gathered since Friday to express their anger over Floyd’s death in Minneapolis on May 25. Floyd, who was black, died after a white police officer pinned him to the ground by his neck for nearly 9 minutes. Cellphone videos captured Floyd’s pleas of “I can’t breathe,” which has become a common message used on signs and in chants during protests. The Minneapolis officer, Derek Chauvin, has been fired and charged with murder.

Shanelle Harrison, a lifelong Howard County resident, was among the crowd of protesters, carrying a sign that read, “Where is the vaccine for racism?”

“Racism is a plague that has been around for hundreds of years,” Harrison said. “You have people protesting for their lives. I don’t think we should have to protest for our lives.”

Harrison, a Wilde Lake High School and Morgan State University graduate, attended a protest in Baltimore on Saturday. She said it’s crucial for the protests to trickle outside of the cities and urban centers. She’s frustrated, however, that this is one of the first major protests in Howard County.

“I’ve lived my whole life in Howard County. The only time [Howard County residents] organized a protest [like this] was when the redistricting protest happened,” she said, referring to the comprehensive schools redistricting process that was approved by the county Board of Education in November. Several protests were held over several weeks as the board discussed the plan.

There also was a Black Lives Matter protest and vigil on Sunday at the Gorman Road overpass for Interstate 95 near North Laurel, which included about 50 vehicles in a caravan.

At times on the mile-long walk to the Columbia Lakefront, the group stopped to allow protesters to catch up, taking the moments of stillness to shout the names of black Americans killed by the police. As organizers in red vests led the crowd down Little Patuxent Parkway, fists pumped in the air and signs waved in support of the chants.

Once the group arrived at the waterfront, protesters packed the area. The crowd began singing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” at one point before speakers started to give their remarks.

Among the multitude of prepared speakers, Gina Best moved to the front with a framed photo of her daughter India Kager.

Kager and her partner, Angelo Perry, were killed in 2015 by police in Virginia Beach after officers fired 30 rounds at the couple in their vehicle with their 4-month-old son in the back seat. The child was not injured.

“I wanted to take a minute to tell you what it takes to survive. Our children are being reduced to hashtags,” said Best, of Columbia. “I labored her in birth, and I’m laboring her in death.”

As Best concluded her emotional speech, march organizers shouted, “Say her name!” and the crowd responded, “India Kager!”

Several of the march’s organizers also spoke to the crowd.

“The revolution did not just start. It just started getting videotaped,” said one of the organizers, who declined to give their name, citing safety concerns. “We youth are not living in this world; we are surviving.”

Baltimore Sun Media content editor Erin Hardy contributed to this article.