Update (June 3, 8:35 p.m.): Forsyth County residents Candice Horsley and Grace Cronan announced Wednesday evening that they are joining forces to plan a single protest this upcoming Saturday from 12-3 p.m. in front of the Forsyth County courthouse in Cumming square.
Cronan and her husband were planning to organize their own protest, and they were in the middle of working with law enforcement to figure out the details of the event when they decided to start working with Horsley, who already had her permit for her Saturday protest approved by officials.
"We are very excited to be working together to combat not only the history of Forsyth County, but to also combat the obstacles that the POC community faces," Cronan said.
Horsley has stressed that the safety of protestors and community members is their number one priority, which is why they have been working closely with the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office to plan the event.
Both organizers are encouraging community members to come out on Saturday to have their voices heard and fight for human rights in Forsyth County and throughout the nation.
"I’ve lived in this county for many years, and dealing with racism isn’t something that’s new to me," Cronan said. "I’ve been called a wetback, I’ve been told to go back to where I came from or that I don’t belong here. I’ve been scared, I’ve been upset, and I’ve been angry. Now I’m just ready for change and I’m ready to be apart of that much needed change."
Those interested in helping to organize the Saturday protest can join in on the discussion through the Forsyth County United Facebook page.
Several Forsyth County residents have organized protests starting this weekend in Cumming to encourage locals to voice their concerns for justice and the rights of the black community in Georgia and in the U.S.
One local mother has worked with the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office to set up a protest in front of the Forsyth County Courthouse in downtown Cumming this Saturday, June 6, from 12-3 p.m. Her permit for the gathering was approved Wednesday by law enforcement, and they plan to work together to ensure everyone’s safety.
“With Forsyth County’s history, I think it’s been important that we — you know I kept stressing with them that we are all working together on this,” Candice Horsley said. “I know they can’t support one side or the other, but they do fully support what we want to do.”
Horsley admitted that she has never organized a protest before, but she said that everyone at the Sheriff’s Office has been helpful and supportive.
“Every conversation I’ve had from corporal to lieutenant to sheriff has been very uplifting and amazing,” Horsley said. “I know my family personally very much appreciates it.”
Horsley said that she is in an interracial relationship and her children are biracial, so they have been trying to, for the most part, watch the news lately as a family. Like many across the nation, it has been hard for her family to watch the violent riots going on in cities across the U.S. in response to the recent killings of black Americans by police, and she said that it is unfortunate that rioters and protestors have had to bring themselves to these extremes in order to have their voices heard.
It is why Horsley decided to plan her own peaceful protest where families can feel safe speaking out and having their voices heard. She said that her own family will be there, and they are committed to making sure everyone will stay safe.
Horsley said that many have reached out to her on social media to say that she is simply looking to bring violence and hate into the community, but she hopes to try to keep the event peaceful.
“I’m not naïve, but I do choose to be positive and I do believe in our community,” Horsley said. “And I think it’s important to show everybody that we are united with our law enforcement and as a community.”
Horsley and others in Forsyth County believe that now is the time to step up for the rights of their fellow humans.
“Right now our black community is on fire,” Horsley said. “And it’s our job to seek out and protect them.”
Forsyth resident Grace Cronan, along with her husband, is also working with the FCSO to organize a protest in the near future. Originally, three local teens planned a peaceful protest for this Friday in front of the Forsyth County courthouse, but it was later canceled after the girls faced some backlash on social media.
Cronan has swooped in to try to take over organizing the protest, but she is unsure if it will still take place this Friday. At the time of publication, she was still working with law enforcement to work out the details of the event.
In the meantime, Cronan is calling on community members to get involved, come out and show their support for the Black Lives Matter movement and for George Floyd’s family.
