More Than 1,000 March In Waltham Rally Against Racism

WALTHAM, MA — More than 1,000 people showed up to Waltham High School Saturday and marched more than a mile down Lexington Street to Leary Field in a rally organized by Waltham Against Racism to protest racial injustice. Neighbors came out of their homes and lined the way, cheering, chanting and holding fists in the air in solidarity.

Young Waltham residents helped coordinate and spearhead the event, but people of all ages and races showed up to march, holding signs and wearing masks during the three-hour event.

"We have power when we come together and we speak the same language and we're fighting for the same cause," said Kurt Faustin the founder of TriUmph at the start of the march. "The thing is though, I don't want you to believe that BLM is just a protest My question is what are you going to do when you leave here?... Are you willing to scream Black Lives Matter in our prison systems?"

"War is a group that is committed to changing each and every one of us," said Mayor Jeannette McCarthy, addressing the crowd at Leary Field. "They started this by organizing, Anna and her group, as students they started it and they're gonna finish it. Because they're going to make sure there's constructive change."

Someone yelled "Defund the police," but McCarthy didn't take seem to take it as a question.

"In order to have constructive change, there's gonna need to be change in laws and the courts," McCarthy said. "Racism has no place and black lives do matter."

June Conway, who served as a police officer in the city for 35 years, said she wanted everyone to know that not all officers dismiss their training or break the law and treat people unjust.

"My skin is brown, my heart is blue," Conway said. "Being a police officer, you put your life on the line every day ... Do not think all officers do not follow their training."

She implored officers to communicate their good intentions, especially to children.

During the march, side roads had orange cones blocking drivers from coming out into the street, but no uniformed officers were visible. The only uniformed officer this reporter noticed was one sitting in the stands near the organizers watching the protesters there until he left after answering a radio call.

In Boston and Brookline and other communities around the state, the presence of police officers in riot gear has seemed to stoke tension and unrest during otherwise peaceful rallies.

Another member of Waltham Against Racism countered that he wanted to address the misconception that there were only a few bad apples that could be plucked to fix the system.

"The foundation of the entire police system, from the beginning, was just a second form of slavery," he said. "It was never meant to protect black people so when I hear sayings like 'this person was failed by the system,' Failure means there was an intended goal that was not met. But the system to protect so it did not fail them. There was never an intention to protect people that look like me."

Another misconception is that white parents just need to teach children how to not be racist, he said.

"When you are born into a racist system your parents do not have to teach you to be racist because almost every aspect of your life is telling you that because you look like this you are better than a person who looks like that."

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).Have a press release you'd like posted on the Patch? Here's how to post a press release, a column, event or opinion piece.