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Black Lives Matter Rally Draws Hundreds in Downtown Rochester

Caitlin Whyte / WXXI News

Speakers and poets addressed a crowd full of protestors gathered at the Liberty Pole in downtown Rochester for a Black Lives Matter rally Friday evening.

Building Leaders And Community Knowledge or B.L.A.C.K, created the event on Facebook and word spread through social media.

Jay Solomon is a part of the organization and said the goal was to create a safe space for people to deal with their emotions in the wake of the recent deaths of Alton Sterling in Louisiana and Philando Castile in Minnesota.

"People being very curious, hurt, full of emotion and not really knowing what's next. We're providing a safe space for people to be able to express themselves."

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Activists from near and far walked in the march that took protestors down Main Street and Clinton Avenue traffic right around rush hour.

Shyheim Williams is originally from Oxford, North Carolina, but is interning in Rochester for the summer. Williams said he hoped for a peaceful, unified protest.

"Where our thoughts, our actions and our sentiments can be heard. And we don't have to get quote on quote anything done, but as long as we can organize and show that we can be peaceful and we can all come together."

Enuma Okafor was also at the rally, and said it's important to have these gatherings to promote change.

"I think after a while you have to step up and you have to speak, and you have to do everything in your manner. It doesn't matter how big or how small your event might be or your rally, it's the fact that you're all coming out and you're pushing to just excel and do better and constantly change things."