La Crosse residents march a mile to protest racial injustice

More than one hundred residents gather, march between parks to protest race issues

LA CROSSE, Wis. (WKBT) — A group of La Crosse residents is showing their support for the African American community.

More than a hundred people gathered Friday afternoon for a “solidarity march” protesting racism. The group walked from Weigent Park along Cass Street to 4th Street and ended at Cameron Park after the mile-long march.

The idea for the march started with a Facebook post by resident Shaundel Spivey, and was inspired by similar events around the country.

“I just made this post and said, ‘Will the white folks of La Crosse be this brave?'” said Spivey. “Just challenging folks to think about how silent this community has been about the issues of racism and injustice, and try to get folks to realize it’s happening in this community, and it affects folks in this community, be it directly or indirectly.”

Many members of the group were white, and said they hoped the march would open the eyes of others to the societal issues facing minorities.

“Just the realization that as white people in our society, we come with a lot of privilege, and that’s really difficult for us to acknowledge, and that our system is rigged for us and against people of color,” said Melissa Murray, who helped organize the march.

Spivey says the turnout shows people in La Crosse care about those issues, but more needs to be done.

“I think in this community we have folks that are willing to come out and speak up,” said Spivey. “It’s just a matter of making sure that we’re coming out and speaking up at all times, and not just when we think it’s convenient.”