TAMPA, Fla. — The national movement against racial injustice and police brutality continues to grow in the Tampa Bay area, with people finding creative ways to spread their message.
Kenneth McElroy of Tampa says every night between 11 p.m. and 12 a.m., he uses a projector to display images of black Americans who have recently died as the result of police actions or perceived racial intolerance.
“I really don't want people to be able to overlook the individuals that I'm putting up on these walls. Some people live in a world where they don't even have to think about that…or that police brutality is a myth. So, when I post it up on a wall, they have to look at it,” McElroy said.
Thursday night, McElroy said he strategically projected the face of Ahmaud Arbery on the side of Franklin Manor in Tampa.
McElroy said he chose this location after one of the co-owners made a comment on social media suggesting "just shoot them all" in reference to protesters demonstrating against police brutality in the wake of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis.
“I was really hurt when I heard the things that he had said,” McElroy said. “It’s like people don't understand the pain that we're going through in this time or how excited we might actually be that there could be change, and that's why we're getting out and protesting.”
McElroy said he will continue to peacefully protest to raise awareness against police brutality. His projections will go on through June 19th, which is also Juneteenth, a commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States.
Protester projects images in Tampa
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