By Eddie Trizzino | Times West Virginian
FAIRMONT — For 10 minutes, demonstrators lay in the intersection of Adams and Jefferson streets Sunday afternoon chanting.
Shouts of “Black Lives Matter,” “I can’t breathe” and “Justice for Floyd and justice for us,” could be heard through the city’s downtown area amid the sound of sirens and traffic. They were protesting the death of George Floyd, of Minneapolis, Minn., who died May 25 after now-fired officer Derek Chauvin placed his knee on Floyd’s neck preventing him from breathing as onlookers pleaded with him to stop.
While the crowd marched for hours, blocking streets and straining their voices, their efforts remained peaceful in the name of protest.
“We came here for a peaceful protest,” said Precious Echols of Fairmont. “We’re not going around rioting or anything, we all want to be treated equally.” …
