ORLANDO, Fla. — Community activists are hoping to see hundreds of people show up for a Black Lives Matter protest march in downtown Orlando Friday.
Some people on the other side of the issue, though, already have.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a possible hate crime after organizer Stetia Allen reported someone had slashed her tires and left a racist note on her car.
“It’s disgusting,” she said. “It’s absolutely disgusting that people are still hateful.”
Allen isn’t going to let the incident affect her plans to march Friday.
The march will go from Lake Eola to Callahan Park before heading toward the Orlando Police Department and then back to Lake Eola.
One of the big motivations for the march is the dramatic increase in homicides in the Pine Hills neighborhood, Allen said.
“Pine Hills is a beautiful neighborhood,” she said. “I don’t understand why our security can’t be through our community.”
Change, Allen said, starts at home.
“We can patrol our streets as a community,” she said. “We can work with the police force.
“I love my community and my community has always taken care of me.”
The march is scheduled to start at 6 p.m.
Cox Media Group
