PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Dozens of protesters took to the streets of West Philadelphia on Monday. They remembered the one year anniversary of police teargassing those who protested the murder of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer.
Malcolm X Park in West Philadelphia played host to the people who came out for the march and memorial.
"We are recognizing a harm that was imposed upon the people of this neighborhood and this community last year, acknowledging the fact that human rights violations happened right here in this community, in this neighborhood," said Brandon Lee with the Designers Protesters Collective.
"A lot of the people who are out here today, we're personally affected. That day, they were tear gassed. They physically had to experience that," Tya Winn said.
She said the gathering is part of the healing process which they want to use in fighting for human rights.
"The experience is a trauma that happened in this neighborhood. A neighborhood that's already experienced a lot of traumas at the hands of police," Wynn expressed.
Lee believes the events that took place last year were important, and remembering them is important.
"This is how the community continues to build and maintain power in a space that is often stripped of that power," he said.
Lee called it empowering and an honor to stand side-by-side with people who spoke up for George Floyd in 2020.
"It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win this battle long term, and it makes me feel like we are at least giving it our best effort in that direction," he said.
Philadelphia City Council passed a bill banning the use of tear gas on protesters in October 2020.