Photo: Residents marching into Belmont Center protesting the death of George Floyd and seeking racial justice. (all photos credit Lisa Sotir)

Hundreds of Belmont residents of all ages and races marched on Wednesday, June 3 from the Belmont Green through the town’s center as “The Town of Homes” joining hundreds of communities nationwide and around the world protesting the death of George Floyd and seeking racial justice.

Carrying signs proclaiming “White silence = violence”, “End Police Brutality” and “Black Lives Matter,” the marchers gathered first at the historic Wellington Station to hear speeches from organizers such as Mitchell Pereira and from incoming Belmont High senior Preston Jackson-Stephens before heading through Belmont Center.

“I wanted to start this because a lot of our surrounding communities were taking part in protesting and I knew that many people in our town wanted to do it as well,” said Pereira, a 2019 graduate of Belmont High.

The march was a viral moment as organizers took to Instagram and asked friends to share their plans and, from there, the word spread.

“I was super surprised and happy with how many people ended up coming,” said Pereira.

For the organizers, the rally’s goal was as a starting point for all Belmont residents to consider how racial injustice effects their lives and the community.

I think it’s our duty to call out injustice and to try and better our society and community,” he said.

“This happened because of everyone and that everyone deserves credit and deserves to be proud of themselves. I’m just a small part of it, it’s really the community who made this happen,” said Pereira.