‘I can’t breathe.’ Angry over the death of George Floyd, protesters march in SouthPark

In an unusual move, protesters denouncing police brutality marched Monday afternoon in SouthPark through one of Charlotte’s most upscale shopping districts.

Dozens of demonstrators walked past SouthPark Mall, shops and office buildings to protest the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minnesota.

They carried signs that read “No justice, no peace” and “Black Lives Matter” and “Stop Killing Black People.”

At one point, the group stopped at a busy intersection outside the mall, kneeled and began chants with Floyd’s name. Cars passing by honked their horns in support.

“We have got to come together,” one woman told the crowd. “We have got to do better.”

Another woman, speaking into a megaphone, told protesters that her father died in state custody in April 2015, a couple weeks before her birthday.

“I anticipated (his release) for six years,” she said. “That’s why I have all this rage. I can’t let another person suffer this loss.”

The event followed a weekend filled with protests in Charlotte and around the globe that were prompted by a viral video depicting a white Minneapolis police officer putting his knee on Floyd’s neck and keeping it there.

Floyd, who was African American, can be heard on the video saying “I can’t breathe.” He died a short time later. The officer was fired and later charged with third-degree murder.

The demonstration in SouthPark was made different by its location. Protests in Charlotte are usually uptown — including most that took place over the weekend — or in west Charlotte.

Protesters - in contrast to some instances of clashes between police and demonstrators at other events in Charlotte and across the nation — remained peaceful. They offered bottled water and fruit snacks to officers.

But the demonstrators were greeted with a heavy police presence. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officers stood by barricades that closed off entrances to the mall. Other officers followed the march on bicycles or on foot.

A police helicopter hovered above the crowd.

CMPD Lt. Steve Fischbach said he and six other police, who were in uniform, volunteered to attend the protest. Fischbach mingled with protesters, listening to comments and answering the occasional question about law enforcement, he said.

“People are angry,” Fischbach said. “I want them to feel heard by police.”

This story was originally published June 1, 2020 at 5:04 PM.