Black Lives Matter March in Apopka this Sunday

The Black Lives Matter - FL Chapter will march in Apopka this Sunday from the Alonzo Williams Park at 515 South Hawthorne Avenue in Apopka to The Apopka Police Department at 112 East 6th Street. The event is planned to start at 6:00 PM.

A small crowd of about 100 people attended the Black Lives Matter event in Sanford last Sunday evening. About 60 of those marched from Red Barber Park to the Sanford Police Department and listened to speeches from several speakers. Two weeks ago, over 1,000 marchers came out for a Black Lives Matter march in Orlando. There is also also a march scheduled in Kissimmee next Sunday, July 31st, and Ocoee Sunday, August 7th.

Demarkus Johnson is the President of Black Lives Matter – FL Chapter and is organizing the event. Johnson is from South Apopka, and graduated Apopka High School in 2005. He is currently attending Bethune Cookman University in Daytona Beach majoring in Criminal Justice.

Johnson says the group has very specific goals, but violence is not among them.

Greg Jackson: "We have to move past the single-focus approach to the issues facing this community."

“We want the police to wear body cameras and to not turn them off. We want them to be fair and treat everyone equally. We want people to do their research and then get out and vote. Black Lives Matter is not here to do anything to harm police officers. That’s not our mission to harm the police, but we don’t want them to harm us either.”

Chief Michael Mc Kinley has spoken to the BLM leader, and expects a peaceful event.

“We’ve reached out to Mr. Johnson and requested his marchers stay calm, peaceful and orderly. We’ll make sure they are safe as they progress through the city. We will support and protect them.”

Hezekiah Bradford is the President of The South Apopka Ministerial Alliance, and will be a speaker at the event. He is a proponent of Black Lives Matter and has called on pastors to announce the event from their pulpits.

“We hope to help bring awareness to the community through a peaceful march as they utilize their First Amendment rights to free speech", he said.

Greg Jackson is running for the Florida House District 45 of the Florida Legislature which includes South Apopka. He is calling for a more comprehensive approach to violence than a prayer vigil or marches for awareness.

“We have to move past the single-focus approach to the issues facing the community. I see clergy trying to take the lead on handling this complex socio-economic issue, but I do not see where they are inviting and including professionals or key members of the community. Where are the other stakeholders in this - business owners, lawyers, health care professionals, educators, etc.? I hear inclusion and togetherness, but we do not see inclusion and that is why these issues continue to escalate; the community is still divided in its approach as to the best way to address the fears, frustration, lack of opportunity, and need for community training with law enforcement and citizens. Prayer heals, but we cannot begin to heal until other views are fully integrated and accepted into this process. One or two sets of ideas cannot solve this issue.”

“We want the police to wear body cameras and to not turn them off. We want them to be fair and treat everyone equally. We want people to do their research and then get out and vote. Black Lives Matter is not here to do anything to harm police officers. That’s not our mission to harm the police, but we don’t want them to harm us either.”

Black Lives Matter - FL Chapter President Demarkus Johnson

Apopka businessman Rod Love echoed Jackson’s thoughts, but also wants concerned citizens to make their voices heard not only on the streets of Apopka, but at City Hall.

“I understand the Black Lives Matter initiative, and support it in principal. I understand moreover, Black Lives Matter Too, as to be inclusive of All Lives Matter. It is my hope that people don’t vilify individuals for exercising their right of peaceful freedom of speech and demonstration. I would also encourage individuals young, old, black, white and brown, and those in particular within the clergy who extol the principles of righteousness, to show how Black Lives Matter Too and show up to at least one Apopka City Council meeting for the year. As a matter of fact, I challenge this worthy initiative to attend and fill the City of Apopka Council chamber on August 17th at 7pm. City budgets oftentimes dictate priorities, i.e., funding or lack thereof, for safe neighborhoods, community parks, little league/pop warner, infrastructure, new development, re-development, housing, clean water, roads and lights, just to name a few. Let’s see what really Matters or my greatest fear, what Matters Not.”

Commissioner Diane Velazquez plans on attending the event, but has mixed feelings after the deaths of police officers in apparent retaliation to the shooting deaths of blacks by police officers.

Kelvin Cobaris "If the Black Lives Matter narrative is divisive, then I denounce it."

“These marches began to bring awareness and to bring about change in how local police departments interact with the African American communities they patrol. These marches have grown more organized, spreading their message throughout many urban cities, calling for change and encouraging dialogue between law enforcement agencies, and their officers working in the black communities. Sadly, the recent peaceful marches have been marred by violence, resulting in chaos and the ambush killing of innocent Police Officers… 8 officers in 2 different cities during 'Black Lives Matter marches'. As well as, injuring other Police Officers. As a retired member from law enforcement the massacre of those 8 innocent police officers strikes too close to my heart. I'm not sure what to expect as these marches keep growing and spreading. I hope they remain peaceful and without incident. I commend our Apopka Police Department, under the leadership of Chief McKinley. He continues to be proactive by having an open dialogue with the community leaders and also participating in The Joint Task Force to hear the concerns of the residents in the African American Community of Apopka.”

Bishop Kelvin Cobaris is the Founding Pastor of The Impact Church in Orlando, and is running against Jackson for District 45. He plans to attend the march, and is one of the speakers. He pushed back hard against Black Lives Matter in his remarks at a rally in support of police last Monday in Apopka.

“One of the most important things we have to do as a city is unite. Let’s tell the community to unite. And no matter how much we talk about gun reform. No matter how much we talk about legislating things to try to bring this violence into a manner of control in our community - you cannot legislate love. You cannot legislate or put in laws to stop evil. All of us are not filled with hate. All of us are not filled with evil. It’s not just black lives that matter, all lives matter. And I understand the Black Lives Matter narrative, but at the end of the day if that narrative brings us to divisiveness and to hatred and violence, I condemn it. I stand against it. And I stand for those that are standing for uniting a community and not dividing it.”

Despite the march being staged in Apopka, there has not been a suspect shot by an Apopka Police officer in over five years, and the last Apopka Police officer to be killed was over 50 years ago.