LAFAYETTE — Acadiana once again came together, protesting against police brutality, while another major American city is dealing with the aftermath of a death caused by an officer.
The Lafayette protest attracted hundreds of people, continuing this afternoon despite rain and the occasional lightning bolt. All marching to Girard Park with one message.
"No Justice, no peace!" protesters chanted while marching.
Among those marching was David Horaist. He's new to participating in marches like these.
"The very idea that we don't have racism in America is ridiculous. We need to wake up and think about what we do, inactivity is just as much as being a part of it, I said I can't sit around and not do anything," Horaist said.
Others in the crowd are veterans of protests like this one. Lafayette NAACP president Marja Broussard has been attending protests since the 1970s.
"Were just excited about the young folks, the white folks, the brown, and just the people that are here," Broussard says, adding she's encouraged by the diverse crowds because "it says that we hear you, we're standing with you."
She says change has happened over the years, but she adds, there's room for more.
"The changes, or improvement have been slow and far in between, but they're definitely coming. The police department was 11% African American, today I believe it's 22. So that has changed," Broussard said.
That need for change was echoed by newcomers like Horaist.
"We need to put some serious laws into effect that gives oversight to our police department when they act badly" Horaist said.
Here's video from the protest:
