Prior to the close of Saturday’s rally, participants were asked to lie down for several minutes.

WEIRTON – Groups of area residents gathered along Main Street in front of the Millsop Community Center Saturday and Sunday afternoons to help spread a message of equality, peace and justice.

The Black Lives Matter rally was organized by Weirton resident Cole Girod as a way to discuss current events in the United States and to show what can be accomplished through peace and understanding.

Girod said he was able to organize the rallies through social media, explaining he initially used an alias for safety, but he has received positive reactions from the community.

“I was scared at first to get backlash, but it has been nothing but love and support,” Girod said.

Pointing to the gathered crowd, Girod said the rally was a true example of peaceful cooperation in spreading a message, bringing together people from all walks of life.

“It’s black, white, Asian, tall, short,” he said. “It’s people.”

Holding signs, and shouting phrases such as “Black Lives Matter,” “No Justice, No Peace,” and “I Can’t Breathe,” the participants were greeted mostly with honks of support from passing motorists.

The event is among thousands held across the country in recent weeks, following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minn., while being arrested by four police officers. One of the now-former officers, Derek Chauvin, according to witnesses and news reports, pinned Floyd to the ground by holding his knee on top of Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes.

Chauvin faces second-degree murder charges, with the three other former officers charged with aiding and abetting murder.

Girod said while much attention has been focused on riots across the country, he believes the issues of racism and police brutality can be discussed without violence.

“We can do it right; do it peacefully,” he said.

Girod extended his thanks to the City of Weirton and the Weirton Police Department for assisting in organizing Saturday’s rally, with city police officers on hand to control traffic on Main Street.

Mayor Harold Miller was among city officials on hand, including Councilmembers Tim Connell and Flora Perrone, and expressing his appreciation for Girod’s efforts to organize the rally and spread a peaceful message.

Miller cited the Last Supper and Jesus’ message of loving one another.

“That’s what we have to do,” he said.