KAREN VIBERT-KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette ‘Walk About It Be About It’ organizer Patrice Blenman leads the crowd down West Third Street in Williamsport on Friday morning. The walkers made their way seven miles to Montoursville.

Memorial Park and Bowman Field parking lots were overflowing on Friday with people from different communities within the greater Williamsport area, holding signs with their friends and children, walking their dogs and wearing matching T-shirts, all excited to begin their 7.42 mile walk to promote equality and Black Lives Matter in opposition to recent allegations of police brutality.

“It has gotten to the point where we see it, our children see it and we shouldn’t have to live in a world where our children see that violence will happen to them because of the color of their skin,” Patrice Blenman, organizer, said. “We need to help each other out. The goal is to not be political but to be peaceful and meaningful. It needs to be an idea of unity.”

Hundreds of walkers, including locals in leadership positions, started the “Walk About It Be About It” march from the bike pass at Memorial Park at 9 a.m. and ended at the Broad Street bridge in Montoursville. Words of inspiration were spoken before the crowd began its walk.

“I hear you. We hear you. I can assure you, here in Williamsport, we do not condone that,” Mayor Derek Slaughter said to walkers. “I will listen to you, your voices will be heard.”

“As we stand today, all of us can breathe,” Raphael Mnkandhla, City Church lead pastor, said. “We want to make sure we are creating a society where everyone can breathe easy.”

Walkers could begin and end wherever they chose as they were walking along the bike path and onto the river walk.

Cars passing the march honked their horns in solidarity.

“I am doing this for my children, my future grandchildren,” participant McKenzie McDaniels said. “You can’t just verbalize it. You have to show up and put action behind it.”

Michele Persun brought her daughters to walk with her. They all had their own handmade signs.

“I brought my girls with me to show support of all the injustices going on in the world right now,” she said.

Barb Barnes, among others, set up water stations for walkers along the path and handed out information for walkers to register to vote.

“I was really excited,” Barnes said. “It’s uncalled for (police brutality). It is unnecessary for police to respond the way that they did with George Floyd.”

Her station, located at the corner of Third and Maynard streets, handed out granola bars and ice cold water bottles.

“We set this up and made signs to show support for all of the walkers joining,” she said.

Blenman also added that, if people are interested in donating, they can do so to the Firetree Place on Campbell Street. The money will go toward funding children’s programs and more.