New Birth pastor urges community to come together in unity

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — This week, many metro Atlanta churches will likely focus on the outrage that's sparking demonstrations.

At New Birth Missionary Baptist Church members packed the parking lot Sunday for a peaceful protest. They urged others to practice nonviolence.

[LIVE UPDATES: Curfew to expire Monday after Atlanta protests]

“You don’t fight back by tearing down your communities, you fight back by voting, doing your census and showing and showing everybody we’re not going to have you in our office representing us if you’re not going to do what you’re supposed to do,” said member Darnell Williams.

[2 APD officers fired after video shows them using ‘excessive force’ on 2 college students during protests]

Senior pastor Jamal Bryant says he really wants the community to come together in unity.

“Dr. King gave us the model and the road map. More has been accomplished through marches than riots. Through marches we got the Civil Rights Act, we got the Fair Housing Act, we got the Voting Rights,” Bryant said.

[Lawrenceville announces curfew ahead of planned Monday protest]

Bryant said it’s also extremely important to have more conversations about why people are protesting in the first place.

“Fredrick Douglas said power concedes nothing without a demand. The missing integer of this is what is the ask and so I think we should be marching until all officers in Minneapolis get arrested, we out to be marching until criminal justice is revisited that we have a national legislated police reform,” Bryant said.

Young activist gives impassioned speech on why she is protesting Tom Jones heard from a young activist about what she wants to see happen after protests surrounding George Floyd's death.

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