At Freedom Park, drums and chants raise a call for justice

Drums rang out for the cause of racial justice Friday evening in Charlotte’s Freedom Park.

The Rhythm Alliance for Justice held the drum circle of about 20 people in the park’s bandstand. Extra instruments were available for others to join the beat, with Clorox wipes to keep them safe from the coronavirus.

Drummers chanted “In our community, unity.”

Scott Swimmer, the event’s organizer, encouraged them to express their emotions through the music. “We’re drumming our conversation,” he said.

Four officers from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department participated. “Music is a universal language,” Officer Jose Torres said. He added that he hoped there could be a universal conversation where ideas are shared.

Rhythm Alliance for Justice said in its Facebook invitation to the event that the drummers would have support from afar: “Our collective voices will be amplified by Rhythm Alliance for Justice groups globally, simultaneously playing with us in support of much needed and long overdue change.”

Later, about 50 people marched through Uptown, receiving supportive honks from passing cars as they went down Tryon Street. They stopped at the new Black Lives Matter mural, where five graduates were having their photos taken. The marchers chanted, “We see you. We love you.”

The crowd had doubled by the time they marched to the Government Center, where people handed out food, water and masks.

No police presence was evident, and there were no conflicts.

This story was originally published June 12, 2020 at 8:37 PM.