A large crowd gathered at Sunset Beach Friday evening after an anti-racism march through downtown Vancouver.

The Freedom March was scheduled intentionally to fall on “Juneteenth”— the day that commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S.

Demonstrators began gathering at Jack Poole Plaza before 4 p.m. and planned to depart at 4:30 p.m. They actually left the plaza closer to 5 p.m., after hearing from organizers and from the Butterflies in Spirit, a group that raises awareness of missing and murdered Indigenous women through dance.
The protesters made their way along Thurlow Street and Beach Avenue to Sunset Beach, where many would stay for several hours listening to live music and hearing from speakers.

As they walked, they chanted the name of George Floyd, the Black man whose death at the hands of Minneapolis police sparked weeks of protests across North America and around the world. The marchers also chanted "I can't breathe," and "no justice, no peace."
Filmed by Ashley