Woodstock Vigil Will be Part of a National Day of Action Against Police Violence

Participants in a SURJ demonstration in New York City in 2015.

McHenry County residents will participate in a National Day of Action: Show Up Against Police Violence on Thursday, July 21, from 4:30 to 6 pm in Woodstock, at the southeast corner of Rt. 47 and Country Club Road. The silent vigil is in response to fatal attacks on Black men and women by police around the county, including the recent shootings of Alton Sterling in Loisiana and Philando Castle in suburban Minneapolis.

The vigil site--Rt. 47 and Country Club Road in Woodstock.

The National Day of Action was called by Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) at the request of Black Lives Matter. SURJ is a national network of groups and individuals organizing white people for racial justice and is an acknowledged ally of the Movement for Black Lives.

This is not an anti-police demonstration. It is an opportunity for white McHenry County Residents to Show Up in support of responsible policing and an end to racial profiling and police brutality. It is an opportunity to visibly reject white complicity in the assault on Black lives.  

The message of the silent vigil is twofold: “Demand Responsible Policing” and “White Silence is Violence.” All signs will be provided by the organizers.

For more information call Pam Sourelis at 815 351-8155 or e-mail equus1@flash.net .