FORT WORTH, Texas — For the sixth straight day, protesters marched and chanted in Fort Worth because for centuries it seems no one has been listening.
Each day the group has grown larger. Seven hundred came out Wednesday, and the crowd was likely the youngest yet.
“I have blisters on my feet from how much I’ve been marching,” a woman named Alexa said. “I’m here for my grandma and my grandpa because they’ve been doing this. She’s too old, you know, she can’t come out here and protest, my mom can’t come out here and protest. I’ve got to do it for my family, and I think that’s why a lot of people are here as well.”
Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price visited a smaller group as things started around 3 p.m. and left after talking to a few organizers and teens.
“More than anything, people want to be heard and I understand that,” Price said.
But throughout the night, protesters said time for talking has passed and they want real change — including diversity in the police force and a citizen’s review board.
RELATED: What do protesters want? Here are 10 demands sent to the Dallas Police Department, local leaders
Thursday, they plan to give a list of demands to city council.
“We’re making good progress,” Price said. “But it’s a slow systemic issue.”
Organizers helped the crowd register to vote, which they’ve done in previous days, too.
“It’s not just about protesting in the streets,” United My Justice organizer Carol Harrison-Lafayette said. “It’s about making your voice and by voting.”
George Floyd and Atatiana Jefferson are just part of the reason the crowd grows each day. They’re just evidence there’s only so many times can you pick at an old wound before it doesn’t heal right.
“This has been a long time coming,” Alexa said. “It’s a change that we need.”
Thursday at City Hall, the group will meet and chant again hoping someone, anyone, listens.
More on WFAA:
- Chauvin charges elevated to 2nd-degree murder in Floyd's death, 3 other officers charged
- George Floyd's full autopsy results released; he tested positive for COVID-19 in April
- Live blog: As curfew starts in Dallas, other events popping up outside curfew zones
- Small gesture in a difficult time: Arlington officer takes a knee during protest