Harrisburg, Pa is a small city with a population of a little over 50,000 people residing in it. As of the 2018 census count, African-Americans/Blacks make up over 51.8% of the community. And a rough estimate of 70% of the inner-city Neighborhoods. Yet, African-Americans only make up under 10% of the Harrisburg police force hired to protect and serve the same city.
Police and community relations in this nation is not the best right now. A lot of unnecessary police shootings have been going on involving unarmed, non-threatening African-American/Black men, women, and children. The final straw that broke the camel’s amazingly 400 year old strong back happened on May 25th, 2020, when four Minneapolis police officers kneeled on a man’s back, neck and legs for 8 minutes and 46 seconds murdering the man now known throughout the world as George Floyd. His vicious, heinous, premeditated murder set off a chain of peaceful marches, protests and a few riots in Minneapolis, DC, Detroit, Philadelphia, New York City, Atlanta and across our country and the rest of the world. Waking everyone who wasn’t paying attention to the violence and fear African-American/Blacks have been going through at the hands of our cities police forces, government and elected officials. 
Harrisburg City came together as a community to also take a stance against police brutality and murders of innocent Black men, women and children by peacefully marching and protesting on numerous occasions from May 30th until the second week of June. Chanting and claiming that Black Lives in Harrisburg and around our nation did actually MATTER. And that we would no longer stand, or sit by quietly as these Black Lives are being taken before their time. While a vast majority of the police that commit these murders go home on paid leave, to ultimately be reinstated back on the force. 
Every one of these peaceful marches and protests took place on the PA State Capitol building steps on Third and State Street and was lead by courageous, up standing, amazing community members and leaders bringing awareness to the Black Lives Matter movement, along with the need for police reform in Harrisburg. These peaceful protests and marches have been so effective that Pennsylvania’s Governor Tom Wolf, Harrisburg’s City Mayor Eric Papenfuse, Harrisburg City Police Commissioner Tom Carter, State Representative Patty Kim, and State Senate hopeful Tom Brier took the presented opportunity to join in a peaceful march on June 3rd signifying that Harrisburg and the state of Pennsylvania will stop at nothing to correct its own mistakes and cover ups by making the necessary reform to policing in the Harrisburg community and state. 
This petition is to have State Street between Third Street right in front of the steps to the Capitol building down to Front Street on the river recognized as Black Lives Matter Plaza going forward in the future. This can be one of a lot more needed gestures and changes to take place in good faith that the city of Harrisburg will do everything it can to rebuild a healthy relationship between the city’s police and Black community. This petition is calling on everyone who sign it to have their voices heard again by City Mayor Eric Papenfuse, State Representative Patty Kim, and Harrisburg’s elected City Council members that Black Lives do Matter in Harrisburg. And here’s one Of many ways they can show us. We don’t just want a photo-ops, or empty promises with cute speeches. We demand action. We demand changes in Harrisburg city. We demand changes to our majority white police force. 
Washington D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser made the first step in the right, positive direction of change by turning 16th street in front of the White House where the xenophobic President Donald J. Trump lives for a few more months into Black Lives Matter Plaza. And painting Black Lives Matter big and boldly in yellow on that same street. In her own words “There are people who are craving to be heard and to be seen, and to have their humanity recognized, and we had the opportunity to send that message loud and clear on a very important street in our city.” 
This also can be Harrisburg’s message to its city, to the surrounding cities and areas, to the state, the whole country and the world that protested and marched, that in the city of Harrisburg, Black Lives Matter and Black voices will be heard, and that their humanity will be recognized everyday that they are alive, active and present in this city, country and world. 
By signing this petition, you are telling the mayor of Harrisburg and the Harrisburg City council that you would like to see State Street from Third Street to Front Street be renamed and recognized as Black Lives Matter Plaza similar to what the city Washington D.C. did.  This is only the first of more many steps to come to show that we mean what we say. We’re willing to follow the necessary procedures in order to fulfill this request. We want to be heard at a magnified level. 

PLEASE help me get the word out, and share this campaign on ALL your social media platforms. Thank you for joining me in our fight for justice, peace and police reform but also for chanting and screaming that BLACK LIVES MATTER in Harrisburg.