WS Chronicle

Photo by Tevin Stinson

Darryl Williams, father of Travis Page, holds a sign that reads “Honk 4 Justice” during a recent rally held on the corner of Stratford Rd. and Hanes Mall Blvd. on Saturday, Dec. 19.

By Tevin Stinson

The Chronicle

Protesters gathered at one of the city’s busiest intersections Saturday afternoon to rally against all forms of hatred that are currently sweeping the nation.

While residents raced to the mall to grab that last minute gift, a number of organizations including Occupy Winston-Salem, Winston United Against Hate, Black Lives Matter and others gathered at the corner of Stratford Road and Hanes Mall Boulevard in the spirit of solidarity and unity against the rising tide of hatred that the country has seen in recent months.

Rally organizer Kim Porter said she is tired of seeing refugees scapegoated, Islamophobia, and tired of seeing blacks killed by police officers. Porter mentioned if you’re black in America, you are four times more likely to be killed by a police officer.

“We’re tired of all the hatred that is going on in this country today,” said Porter. “What gets played out in the media is the hate speech and not the message of love, justice and equality that most of us believe in.”

While many held signs referring to immigrant-bashing and hate speech, the majority of the protestors attended the rally to call for immediate and timely release of the police body cam footage of the death of 31-year-old Travis Page who died in the custody of four police officers.

As cars zoomed by blowing their horns in support of the peaceful protest, Porter said that although she understands an investigation is underway and an autopsy has to be completed, the citizens are demanding the video footage be made public.

“We don’t know the facts and we don’t pretend to know the facts, but we want the video to be released as soon as possible.” She continued, “We don’t want to interfere with the investigation, but we want the truth.”

Darryl Williams, the father of Page, spoke during the rally as well.

Williams said he believes God brought this situation in his life for a reason. For the past ten years or more, Williams has been advocating for equality and justice.

“When this came to me, I felt it was really a catalyst for me to be able to say some of the things that need to be said,” Williams said.

Williams mentioned that the media has painted a negative picture of his son and as a result, human dignity is lost. According to Williams, “People don’t feel it’s necessary to treat Travis like a human or with any dignity and this is an issue that we are seeing too often in America.

“I have a lot of questions that need to be answered,” he said. “Was there gun residue on his hands? Were there any drugs in his system? These are all accusations that have been made about my son and I need answers before I sign anything.”