Voice of Westmoreland holds 'Rally for Black Lives' in Greensburg's St. Clair Park

While Vice President Mike Pence was attending a “Cops for Trump” rally in downtown Greensburg, a half-mile away in St. Clair Park, city resident Arlena Williams was describing the fear she felt recently watching her son get pulled over by police right near her front door.

“Our fears are not superficial,” Williams said. “When I hear a siren, or an ambulance, I pray for the safety of our children. Because the reality is, they are in danger.”

Williams was one of several speakers at a “Rally for Black Lives” event sponsored by Voice of Westmoreland and held Thursday morning just before the “Cops for Trump” event.

“We’ve never dealt with racism in this country,” said speaker and rally co-organizer Lorence King, 31, of Greensburg. “We’ve never healed. We’ve brushed it aside.”

Below, King talks about his reasons for getting involved.

Alan Murtaza of Irwin said he felt Pence’s appearance at the police-oriented rally was an example of the Trump administration’s “arrogance.”

“It’s a systemic thing that’s been going on for the last couple of years now,” Murtaza said. “It seems like nothing’s changing, everything’s getting worse, and we just have to make a stand.”

Murtaza said he came to the rally to support not just Black lives, but to support “the people who are with you, the people who want to see things go in the right direction.”

And, while the rally was billed as having been organized in response to the “Cops for Trump” event, it was not specifically anti-police, and included speaker Cpl. Aaron Allen, a Black Pennsylvania State Trooper with the department’s Heritage Affairs Office.

Allen said he’s attended about 35 protests in recent months.

“I’m not just a police officer. I’m a human being and a Black man,” Allen said. “And I stand with the community because I’m a part of it as well.”

Williams and other speakers tried to emphasize their position that the phrase “Black lives matter” is not meant to downplay anyone else’s life.

“Saying Black lives matter does not mean that blue lives don’t matter,” Williams said. “It does not mean that white lives don’t matter. But it means that, right now, Black lives are in jeopardy. And that is real. And you would be less than a human being if you turn a blind eye to that.”

King agreed.

“I want my life to matter in this country. But I can’t breathe. Black lives matter. They’re just like yours,” he said.