HIGH POINT, N.C. — The One Nation March for Justice took place Sunday afternoon in High Point. March organizers worked with the High Point Police Department to block off multiple streets.
Pastor, mentor and community leader Orrick Quick said the march was a celebration of justice for George Floyd. But he said that was just the beginning. Marchers were walking to demand that same justice for Fred Cox, 18, who was shot and killed by a deputy with the Davidson County Sheriff's Office outside a High Point church in November.
"He was shot while running and saving two lives," Cox's mom Tenicka Shannon said. "Do your job, we are ready," she said, calling on the Guilford County District Attorney to bring forth charges against the deputy. "Because if it had been my son who shot him, there would be no questions he would be in prison."
Cox was shot following a drive-by shooting outside of a funeral after everyone scattered. The SBI said the deputy was there at the request of the family of the deceased. In a preliminary report, the SBI went on to say the deputy 'observed Cox with a handgun' at the time he fired.
An autopsy revealed he was shot four times.
PHOTOS: One Nation for Justice March
This was the second One Nation for Justice march in High Point, and the second time the High Point Police Department has been a part of it.
"I keyed in on three words during the presentation when they organized this march about a month ago," Interim High Point Police Chief Travis Stroud said. "It was justice, peace, and unity -- who am I as the interim Chief of Police to go against that, that is what we want every single day."
One year after George Floyd's murder sparked the first march here, Chief Stroud helped roll out an anti-police brutality banner with organizer Orrick Quick. Community members and marchers then took turns signing the banner.
"A lot of things that are being demanded of police reform are already in place here," he continued. "We don't have choke holds, no knock search warrants we don't do those."
Still, more conversations, more work, and more reform ahead.
"We only have 50 body cameras deployed on the street right now, we're rolling out a process, and this is part of our strategic plan, to get those body cams to all of our uniformed patrol officers. But it takes time, it's a lot of money and planning to get it right. So over the next several years we'll get all our uniformed officers equipped with body cameras."
The march started at West Market Center Dr. and went towards South University Pkwy. The march finished right by the police department around 4 p.m.
