Even though the Joseph E. Johnston Confederate statue wasn’t the reason for the march, it was at the center of everyone’s attention Saturday night in Dalton, Georgia, as protesters and counter-protesters shared heated moments during the latest demonstration in Whitfield County.
More than 30 people marched in Dalton to honor the life of A.L. McCamy, a black man who was lynched and hanged by a mob of more than 150 men in the city in 1936.
Rashun Mack, a Dalton native and the Northwest Georgia leader of a new activist organization called the Southern Advocacy Group, organized Saturday’s march as well as the city’s first on June 1.
Before the march, Mack said it was his goal to offer people a form of empowerment and a way for them to exercise their First Amendment rights.
He did notice a difference between organizing Saturday’s march as opposed to the one earlier this month. Mack said since the Facebook group called “Don’t Let Joe Go” was created this week, he’s noticed some intense backlash from a group of people who want to see the Confederate statue left alone. He said a lot of people were deterred from coming out to march because of it.