Green Country Protests Bring Out Protesters Of All Ages

Protesters gathered and marched Saturday afternoon in Broken Arrow and Muskogee.

Hundreds of protesters at Central Park in Broken Arrow kneeled for eight minutes and 46 seconds to represent the amount of time an officer held his knee on George Floyd’s neck. 

The kneeling was emotional for Alex Cross and Hana Saad. 

"I can't imagine not being able to breathe for that long," Cross said. 

"To be suffering and struggling and asking for help and begging for help and just nobody --- nobody stepped forward and nobody listened,” Saad said. “So we have to now.”

19-year-old Gabrial Jones organized the event as a protest against racism and police brutality.

“Anyone with any age can make a difference in my opinion,” Jones said. “It’s just all depending on the heart.” 

Churches and emergency groups set up stations to hand out water and food due to the hot weather.

Broken Arrow Police Chief Brandon Berryhill said his department supports the people’s right to protest and wants people to stay safe.

“You know what’s great about America is that people have the right to do this, and there are countries that you’re not allowed to. Everybody across America and every city is going to make sure that you get to observe those rights," Berryhill said. "If we’re safe, the citizens who come out and join this march are going to be safe. That helps the message from getting lost.”

A smaller group in Muskogee held their own protest. Organizer Coley Branham and his husband said despite the small turnout, their message was important.

"It shouldn't matter if he's black and I'm white,” Branham said. “It's about equality and if you love someone, it shouldn't matter the color of their skin.”

News on 6 caught a touching moment between best friends Linnix and J.J. as they ran to hug each other. Linnix is white and J.J. is black. Linnix's mother, Stephanie Katich, described the pair as inseparable. 

"They don't understand that there's a difference between them,” Katich said. “If she doesn't see it and he doesn't see it, then we could really learn from them.”  

Katich is proud of the toddlers who are setting the example that love has no limits.