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Police, community unite in march through uptown Charlotte

By DaShawn Brown, wsoctv.com
By DaShawn Brown, wsoctv.com

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — People in Charlotte came together Saturday night in response to recent violence involving law enforcement across the country.

About two dozen people finished marching through uptown at Romare Bearden Park. They told Channel 9 their message wasn’t just about color or just about police, but that they wanted to show people who were from different backgrounds coming together.

“It's a few of us at our church,” said Jeremiah Akinsola. “We saw a lot of the issues in our country going on and we wanted to make a difference in our community by just playing our part.”

It wasn’t only the community, but officers too joined together with one goal on their march through uptown. They responded to weeks of violence sweeping the country in a visual show of unity.

Among those marching was Trisha Norket, for whom the violence hits close to home.

“When this happens, my heart breaks because I know what the families are going through,” she told Channel 9.

On October 5, 1993, her son, CMPD Officer John Burnette, was killed in the line of duty.

He was 25.

“It's not just officers, it's anybody that's killed,” Norket said. “And where we are in our world politically and even with all that's going on, we're a mess.”

Those who participated in Saturday’s march, a grassroots effort called The Heart of the Matter, hope each step is one closer to change.

“They will see us with white and Afro-American together, and I hope I can find some of those hands to hold,” said Norket.

The group that organized Saturday’s march is based out of Elevation Church. The march ended at Romare Bearden Park with a discussion on how to move forward.

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