STREATOR – Two separate marches in the Illinois Valley led and organized by area residents had hundreds holding signs, chanting, and peacefully asking for change in a country rocked by violence in the week since a Minnesota man had died in police custody.
In Streator, over 20 people walked over 6 miles from the north side of town down route 23 to city hall and back, stopping at times to give short speeches. Organizer Angel Patterson said before the walk began “If you want the nation to be better, you have to ask the police to be better.”
A crowd estimated at over 200 in LaSalle walked from east LaSalle to City Hall, where a 9 minute moment of silence was observed on the lawn, with many laying down, representing the time George Floyd was held down by officers during his arrest in Minneapolis last Monday.
Almost all communities in the area were present, with people coming as far as Princeton to walk peacefully with others Monday evening.
Local law enforcement worked hand in hand with organizers to ensure everyone’s safety, and to walk with the group. Another protest gathering is scheduled for today in Ottawa.
