Community Leaders Share Ways to Prevent Violent Protesting in Delmarva
The nation is still reeling from the violence that erupted this weekend in Virginia.
While Charlottesville officials begin to pick up the pieces — many are wondering how the same situation would be handled here on the peninsula.
Today – 47 ABC's Erica Murphy met with local leaders to find out how they plan to keep protests from turning deadly.
The deadly protest happened 4 and a half hours away –
AND STILL – many (people) here on Delmarva are wondering if the same thing could happen at home.
"There's a confederate memorial right here in Salisbury and there's a petition underway to remove it. But local leader say they hope both sides can come to an agreement — a peaceful agreement on what should happen to it."
"Together there could be a resolution on the situation of the marker. Where both sides could come together and and say maybe we could do X– Y- and Z."
Many believe a peaceful resolution, something that may not have happened in Charlottesville, is possible on the Eastern Shore.
And local leaders say there are a number of ways to keep protests from turning violent – and most of them don't require a badge.
"It starts in the homes –the church– the schools. Everybody is gonna have to take a part in this. This is 2017 and nobody should be judged according to the color of their skin."
Princess Anne commission president — Garland Hayward says it's hard to see this kind of racial tension so many years after the civil rights movement.
And says leaders should keep a watchful eye on the people they serve.
"As a public official you always keep an open mind and have to be very vigilant about observing your community so you can see what's going on in your community."
Hayward says what happened in Virginia could happen anywhere in America.
"The first thought that comes to a person's mind is could this happen here? Could this happen here? And we would be naive to think that it couldn't but we would try to assure that it doesn't."
Erica Murphy. 47 ABC.
