Springfield protesters to march for black lives

Springfield protesters to march for black lives

Took to the streets -- protesting for racial justice and police accountability.

What makes tonights protest different from all the others -- is that this one took place in springfield -- not downtown eugene.

Kezi 9 news reporter jacob roberts joins us live from the springfield public library where it started and ended -- and jacob this demonstration was pretty peaceful the entire time?

Springfield's first protest against racial injustice was peaceful.

Protesters started here at the springfield public library with speeches from organizers.

Then crowds made their way down a street, past the jail where their were some tense but peaceful moments with police.

The whole protest lasted more than three hours.

Protesters went down pioneer parkway and to the value village area.

All the while holding signs and chanting messages of black lives matter.

Marching through neighborhoods, there were lots of onlookers.

Protestors even encouraged them to join in.

One protester told me it's important for their voices to be heard.

"we want to make positive change its time to brainstorm and make change the system is just not working do whatever we can to do that" those tense moments i mentioned earlier were when organizers asked police who were outside the jail to take a knee, as a moment of solidarity with protestors.

Protesters would ask again at various points along the walk, but as far as we saw no officer decided to do that.

Another protest is scheduled for tomorrow at noon in downtown eugene.

Jillian jacob -- as you mentioned protestors were really trying to get springfield police to take a knee with them -- like we've seen in other states across the country.

So im curious jacob -- did they tell you why they chose not to?

These protests we've been seeing address issues like racism and police accountability.

Which is why these protests we've been seeing