GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — *This story will be updated throughout the afternoon and evening.*
For the third consecutive weekend, protesters are gathering in downtown Grand Rapids. This demonstration is a solidarity for Black Lives Matter event.
The event organizers stress the protest is peaceful, and they are meeting at Rosa Parks Circle at 4 p.m. The event will start with speakers sharing their experiences, and the march will start at 5 p.m.
This one is organized by a group called Minorities Movement 2020.
LIVE UPDATES:
6:05 p.m. - The official protest ends, but groups of people are remain in the downtown area. The organizers and speakers urged people to register to vote.
6 p.m. - The organizers of the protest said they planned to officially end at 6 p.m. but if anyone wanted to continue to demonstrate, they could join a group that has had a presence downtown for two weeks.
The corner at Pearl Street NW and Monroe Avenue NW has become a place of community, discussion and protest.
5:30 p.m. - The group marched around the downtown area for about 30 minutes before returning back to Rosa Parks Circle.
5 p.m. - After hearing from several speakers, the crowd started marching through downtown Grand Rapids. They started chanting Breonna Taylor's name, a 26-year-old woman who grew up in Grand Rapids, and was shot and killed by police in Louisville.
4:30 p.m. - A couple hundred people gathered in Rosa Parks Circle. The organizers invited anyone who wanted to speak to step up and take the microphone.
The organizers told the crowd several times they want the afternoon to be a peaceful march.
4 p.m. - Kent County public defenders are attending the march.
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