Vigil and protest for George Floyd

Around 200 people showed up to the Wimberley Square to hold a vigil and show solidarity for George Floyd, who was killed by a police officer in Minnesota sparking protests across the country, and support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

“I am disgusted, outraged and mostly scared,” Isabella Perez, who was one of the organizers of the vigil and protest, said.

Four local teenagers organized the protest: Jasmine Racine Belleau, Isabella Perez, Ashleigh Williams and Meagan Treadwell.

The protest in Wimberley was peaceful. Across the nation, that was not the case as protests broke out into riots in major cities across America.

“I am glad that Wimberley was its exceptionally kind, peaceful self in its protest,” Wimberley Mayor Gina Fulkerson said. “I think that we stood for the right for people to speak and assemble and to stand up for what they thought. For those that disagreed, they have that right too. It was all done peacefully. I am grateful and very proud of our town for that.”

Speakers at the protest mourned the death of Floyd and spoke out against police brutality as well as systemic racism.

“People are mad,” Marissa Fehler said. “People have been fighting this since the first slave ship landed… We will keep doing this (protesting). People are dying. When will it be me? ...Black people live in this community, and we have a right to (live in this community).”

State Representative Erin Zwiener spoke about the need for change.

“I see a community who is grieving another example of police brutality that this time ended up in death,” Zwiener said. “I think what I am seeing is enough is enough. This is not the first incident. It probably won’t be the last incident, but it was an incident that happened on camera in a way that was undeniable to people in any way. I think a lot of folks looked up and said ‘Oh, that is what our Black community has been telling us about.’ I think we are all ready for change.”

Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra said he was thankful the protests in Hays County were peaceful and that he wanted to be present and listen to people who felt “neglected, over-looked or harassed.”

“Everywhere I have seen within Hays County, that I have been made aware of, I have seen people coming together to highlight the terrible tragedies that are taking place. It has always been peaceful, it has always been respectful and I am grateful to be a part of that representation.”

At the end of the protest and vigil, participants gathered on the Cypress Creek Bridge chanting “Black Lives Matter.”