Germantown rally held to support racial equity

Protesters gathered around noon Saturday, June 27, in downtown Germantown to march through the village in support of the Black Lives Matters movement.

Protesters gathered around noon Saturday, June 27, in downtown Germantown to march through the village in support of the Black Lives Matters movement.

Dozens of people gathered in downtown Germantown around 1 p.m. to hold a march in support of racial equity and the Black Lives Matter Movement.

A smaller number of counter-protesters shadowed the group.

The march began at Veterans park around 1 p.m. and marchers walked through downtown under a light rain. Some carried signs in support of Black Lives Matter.

One of the organizers, Keara Peffly, 17, a student at Valley View High School, said she wanted to hold the rally because as a white person she said she sees the same racial inequities in Germantown that exist in bigger cities.

Germantown police patrolled around the event and removed one bicyclist who was carrying a confederate-style flag and briefly blocked the marchers on a sidewalk.

The planned march concluded around 1:30 p.m. and speakers followed up addressing a small crowd from the gazebo at Veteran’s Park. Off to the side 10 marchers and counter-protesters gathered talked with each other about their views.

The event concluded by 2 p.m. Thomas Schiff, the Germantown law director, said there were no arrests and the event concluded peacefully.

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