ATLANTA — A group of musicians and other instrumentalists held a protest demonstration for Elijah McClain in Grant Park.
Labeled by participants as a ‘violin vigil,’ the ad hoc group of performers met in a large, shaded area where Grant Park Place meets Cherokee Avenue near the Atlanta Zoo - between Augusta Avenue and Ormond Street.
The ‘violin vigil’ was arranged and coordinated by local professional cellist, Sarah Kapps.
Kapps along with other local Atlanta artists organized the ‘community play-in’ to address the often overlooked violence that visited upon citizens with mental health issues, especially by law enforcement.
Last week in Aurora, Colorado, a similar was disrupted and shut down by local law enforcement.
“We’re here because Elijah McClain was one of us and we would stand up for him as we stand for each other right here,” says Kapps. “I feel like I recognized something in Elijah McClain, I think we all do. We all spend a lot of time alone, practicing. We know what it's like to be loners.”
The community demonstration was held around lunchtime on Friday, July 3, between 11:30 am and 1:00 pm.
“That's what artists, teach us. That you have this connection to come together as a community and be out of fear. So, this concert represents the spirit of love as an antidote to fear - and hate,” freelance double bassist and friend of Kapps, Jacqueline Pickett told My East Atlanta News.
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