As the coronavirus pandemic rages on, churches have been forced to worship from home to stem the tide of the disease, and pray together at a distance in uncertain times.
But Sunday night, driven by a need to acknowledge the injustice of the death of George Floyd and to press for change in the way African Americans are treated, dozens of members of churches throughout Greenville gathered in prayer outside the Phillis Wheatley Community Center.
Floyd, a black man, died when a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly 9 minutes. The officer was fired and later charged with murder. Floyd's death has sparked more than a week of protest across the country.
The dozens gathered outside of the community center Sunday night were mostly from black churches, but clergy and members of some white churches joined them in prayer. The group was made up of husbands and wives, parents holding their children by the hand, teenagers and retirees.
Some in the crowd wore masks emblazoned with the words "I can't breathe," the last thing Floyd said before he died.
For many of the people in attendance on Sunday night, it was the first time they'd come together in prayer in a group that size in months.
More: After George Floyd's death, Greenville protesters ask, 'Am I a threat even in a suit?'
Robert Lennell Anthony said it has been painful to bear witness to the deaths of Floyd; Ahmaud Arbery, a black man killed while jogging in Atlanta; and Breonna Taylor, a black EMT shot and killed by police in her Kentucky home. The pain is increased for him because he is the father of two young black men.
Gathering in prayer and calling for change offered some solace, he said.
"Those individuals, black or white, who may have had a racist bone in their bodies, they have to understand we're not going to tolerate this anymore," he said. "We have to live together as a whole as a nation, and at the end of the day, this is what God wants."
The event was hosted by Pastors United for Action, and featured speakers from Greenville's faith community and local law enforcement.
A day of controlled chaos: How 12 hours of protest for George Floyd unfolded in Greenville
At the gathering, PUA presented a list of recommendations to law enforcement and communities for changes that should be made at the local and national levels.
Among the suggestions were:
- A requirement that the federal government review all cases in which someone is killed by law enforcement
- An end to choke hold practices that are used by law enforcement across the country
- A call to the black community to participate in the 2020 census so the black population is accurately represented
- A call for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to collect data on gun violence
- A call for community members to participate in upcoming elections
Rev. James Nesbitt, president of PUA and lead pastor at Beulah Church, said during trying times it is important for faith leaders to be able to meet with their congregations in person, though safely.
Almost all of the dozens who gathered outside the community wore masks, and demonstrators were encouraged to socially distance.
More: Greenville's George Floyd protest last Sunday starts peaceful and ends with tension, burning vapors, arrests
"As pastors and faith leaders, we must speak to the situation and let it be known that we recognize where we find ourselves today and recognize that change has to take place," Nesbitt told the group.
Conor Hughes is a public safety reporter with The Greenville News. Contact him via email at chughes@gannett.com or on Twitter @ConorJHughes.
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