Beaufort rally planned in support of law enforcement, first responders. What to know
A rally planned in Beaufort on Saturday will be a community celebration of law enforcement and other first responders, organizers say.
The event will be 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the former Piggly Wiggly building parking lot at Ribaut Road and Boundary Street, said Lady’s Island resident Ann Ubelis, one of the event’s organizers. Participants won’t block roads or sidewalks but will gather in the area between the Beaufort-Port Royal Fire Station, Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office and Beaufort Police Department to show support, Ubelis said.
Ubelis, a member of the Beaufort Tea Party, said the rally isn’t political.
“It’s just the community coming together to show support,” she said Monday. “We want to show that all sides can come together and unite in one idea.”
Those who attend should adhere to safety protocols during the coronavirus pandemic, wearing masks if age and health allows and maintaining a safe distance between others, Ubelis said. Organizers are asking participants to make signs, wear T-shirts or bring American flags to show support.
Protesters met in the same parking for weeks in late May and June to protest police brutality and call for justice and reform after George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Floyd’s death sparked nationwide protests and campaigns to cut police budgets and reallocate money to other public safety and community programs or to disband departments.
“Back the blue” rallies similar to the one planned Saturday have been held throughout South Carolina and the country in response to calls to slash funding and manpower and as COVID-19 has curtailed local government spending.
