Peaceful Protest in Fort Worth, Texas

Several people marched through the streets of downtown Fort Worth, Texas Tuesday afternoon, November 2, 2016. Patrick Reynolds, an African-American pastor and community activist, led the march designed to encourage African-Americans to stop black-on-black crimes, end police brutality, and exercise their right to vote.

He gathered his supporters downtown and presented a speech on the issues impacting the black community. For instance, he said, presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, despite placing criminal justice reform and a call to end police-involved shootings of unarmed African-Americans at the center of her campaign message, has, thus far, failed to engage black millennials.

Reynolds also acknowledged that black voters might be less energized about this election without President Obama on the ballot. “We have to remind ourselves that people marched with Dr. King, not for Dr. King. And while people voted for President Obama, they were voting in their best interests -- and even as he goes into the sunset of his administration, the interests have not changed,” he said.

Reynolds acknowledged other issues crucial to the black community, such as employment, education, and criminal justice reform are also missing from Clinton's presidential campaign. He also said he feels one should vote based on their research of the candidates and that blacks choose their destiny by casting their votes.

Also, he said the way the justice system treats people differently based on race divides people; adding that he believes in community policing; which allows people to have stewardship over their communities.

Reynolds said he plans to lead another march in November and insisted that protesting during lunch hour allowed him to have increased exposure to the people he aimed to reach, such as city government officials.

He marched through the streets chanting for about an hour and a half, while he and his supporters held signs pleading for an end to police brutality and black-on-black crime. Reynolds said his group was peaceful and that he resented police presence. “I hear people say 'all lives matter', and they do, but, at the same time, we got way too many African-Americans who are being killed. Why does black on black crime exist? Because we are living in a community of deep poverty perpetuating black-on-black crime," he said.