Friendswood ISD alumni to hold protest honoring George Floyd

A group of Friendswood ISD alumni are holding a Black Lives Matter march for George Floyd on June 6 in Friendswood. Floyd’s death at the hands of a white police officer in late May has sparked protests throughout the country.

“A lot of people in Friendswood think of systemic racism as something that happens outside of this community, but that here in Friendswood, it doesn’t happen,” said Gabi Rodriguez, one of the organizers of the event. “We believe [Black Lives Matter] is an issue worth fighting for.”

The protest will begin at the parking lot at the corner of FM 2351 and South Friendswood Drive. Protesters will meet at 2:30 p.m. and begin marching at 3 p.m. to city hall. Once they reach city hall, they will kneel for 8 minutes and 56 seconds in Floyd’s memory. The protest will be kept to the sidewalk and will not obstruct traffic, in line with the guidelines set by the city of Friendswood.

The group also asks that people be mindful of social distancing to reduce the possible spread of COVID-19. The organizers will be handing out hand sanitizer and masks for those that need it as well.

Rodriguez and the other organizers ask that protesters remain peaceful.

“Our rationale is that we are not the morality police and can’t tell anyone what to say, but for this to become important in Friendswood, we think this is what would work best here,” she said.

One of Rodriguez’ goals is that the protest helps to convey protestors as normal people.

“Because of the way the media has portrayed the movement, people see protestors as radical criminals,” Rodriguez said. “I think this is a way to show people that we are regular people who believe in this movement and are fighting for it.”