George Floyd Death: Protesters Gather Around Maryland Sunday

BALTIMORE (WJZ)  — Protests continued around Maryland and the Baltimore area Sunday, rallying in support of George Floyd, the unarmed black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis on Memorial Day.

Protesters gathered in Towson Sunday afternoon, where some sat together while others walked around with signs.

Chopper 13 was live over the scene at the corners of Pennsylvania and Washington Avenues near the courthouse.

Some police cars could be seen driving up the area shortly after the protesters began to gather.

Later in the afternoon, the Baltimore clergy gathered at the Baltimore Convention Center and marched from there through downtown Baltimore.

"Our faith isn't confined to four walls of a building," Elder Rashad Singleton with the Gospel Tabernacle Church said. "We actually understand that faith and prayer actually helps us to engage people who we might know and also to help us speak against injustice happening in our city and our nation."

In the wake of Floyd's death and other instances of police brutality, organizers led with music, spoken word and motivational messages, calling for a dismantling of current systemic injustices.

"I think prayer, in times of need, people tend to listen," said Carol Stewart with the Faith in the Street Demonstration and March.

Stewart and her sister, as well as members of her church, took part in the march in Baltimore.

"Regardless of your religion, regardless of your color... we pray for guidance, we pray for strength during this time in the United States of America," she said.

In Annapolis, meanwhile, protesters marched from Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium to Susan Campbell Park Sunday afternoon. Another demonstration took place later in the day.

For the evening protest, the hundreds who gathered were told to bring just one thing: flowers, which were placed in front of a memorial to Floyd.

"They are kings and queens, and looking at them lose their lives is like one of us losing our lives," co-organizer Harold Lloyd said.

Like similar protests in recent days, the Sunday evening rally in Annapolis was also organized by young people in the community.

"Young people are truly starting to take control," Dajuan Gay said.

Another group of hundreds of protesters gathered at Randallstown High School before making their way to a Baltimore County Police Department precinct. Once there, they took a knee outside the building.

Organizers hoped to show there can be a productive relationship between the police and the public.

"We just want to show that we can unite with the police in order to have change," protest co-organizer Brianna Caines said.

Baltimore County Police Chief Melissa Hyatt was among the officers who met with demonstrators during the event.

After days of demonstrations in Baltimore City and other large cities across the country, state Sen. Shelly Hettleman, a Democrat from Baltimore County, said she's glad to see people in smaller communities taking part in the protests.

"It is wonderful to see out in suburbia here in Baltimore County that folks are standing together and saying 'Enough is enough,'" she said.

Kayla Kurtz, the co-organizer of a protest earlier in the day in Lutherville, said those taking to the streets come from all different walks of life and backgrounds.

"We have people from every religious background, race, gender, sexual orientation, everything, and it's important for all of us to be fighting for Black Lives Matter," she said.

A group of several dozen also protested in Frederick Sunday evening, city officials said.

The city estimated around 60 people took part in the two-and-a-half-hour protest.

WJZ reporters Annie Rose Ramos and Rachel Menitoff contributed to this report.

Read the latest coverage of the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis from WCCO-TV | CBS Minnesota.

In:
• Maryland
• Black Lives Matter
• Towson
• Protest
• Baltimore City
• Baltimore County
• Anne Arundel County