About 65 people attended a Police Lives Matter rally at Alvin K. Bissell Park on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
A rally at Alvin K. Bissell Park on Saturday, September 19, showed support for police officers and first responders. It included music, prayer, several speakers, a reading of the names of fallen officers, a short march, and a candlelight vigil.
“I had this for support of our police officers, first responders, and all lives,” said Kevin Rice, one of the three organizers.
Here are pictures from the rally.
The Police Lives Matter rally included a candlelight vigil at Alvin K. Bissell Park on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
The Police Lives Matter rally included a candlelight vigil at Alvin K. Bissell Park on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
The Police Lives Matter rally included a candlelight vigil at Alvin K. Bissell Park on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
The Police Lives Matter rally included a candlelight vigil at Alvin K. Bissell Park on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
The Police Lives Matter rally included a short march starting and ending at Alvin K. Bissell Park on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Stephanie Criswell, one of the rally’s three organizers, reads the names of fallen officers. She said there have been 91 deaths in 2015 so far, including 31 to gunfire and assault, and one to a stabbing. Others have been in crashes, 9/11-related, and cancer-related. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
John Criswell, president of FOP Atomic City Lodge #1, which is made up mostly of Oak Ridge police officers, thanked the community for its support. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Speaker Anthony Allen, who is black, said the Black Lives Matter movement is racist and passively connected to harm to police officers, and he called for the removal of a Black Lives Matter sign at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church. The ORUUC pastor, the Rev. Jake Morrill, said he thinks the main thrust of the Black Lives Matter movement is to secure equal justice for all Americans, “which is a value I think we can all support.” (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Jesse Pack plays “Taps” at the Police Lives Matter rally at Alvin K. Bissell Park on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)Â
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Mark Caldwell says
Surely they don’t mean that just police lives matter do they? That might be divisive.
Kevin Rice says
No Mark it was to support our Police and First Responders and All Lives Matter !