Macon residents rally against race fueled riots in Charlottesville

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – A rally turned hate fueled riot in Charlottesville, Virginia has people across the nation up in arms including hundreds in Macon.

“I think the only way to stop it is to do something and this is something,” said rally-goer Dr. Marie Lewis.

For residents in Macon that something was marching. People from different racial, political, and religious backgrounds all gathered at Rosa Parks Square on Monday to stand as one against the hate.

“We need to respond to these people who are so filled with hate and tell them we won’t tolerate it,” Lewis continued.

The rally came just days after the white nationalist riot in Charlottesville that left one dead and 19 injured.

“Seeing the events of last week in Charlottesville I, like lots of people, wanted the opportunity to vent the outrage as a moment of solidarity and catharsis and come together,” said rally speaker David Davis.

He and Lewis were a few of the hundreds who gathered to protest that hate and promote love.

“I was so sickened by the display of hatred. That is not America. We are a nation of everybody,” Lewis said.

A nation that was built on a false promise of ‘freedom and justice for all’ as Mercer Southern Studies professor David Davis put it.

“My family has been in Middle Georgia for 200 years. We’re apart of the culture that created racism, racial inequality, and white supremacy,” said Davis.

He and several others speakers had a similar message that the burden of hate isn’t to be carried by minorities alone.

“I think it’s important for some of us who are responsible and part of the system to take responsibility,” he added.

The hope in doing ‘something’ was to turn hate into ‘nothing’ and march forward into a tomorrow where liberty and justice truly are for all.

Rally-goers ended the protest with a silent march from Rosa Parks Square to the Tubman Museum where they honored those injured and killed in Charlottesville over the weekend.