Amy Burns, of Mansfield, stands hand-in-hand in silence during a Stand for Love demonstration on Cleveland's Loraine-Carnegie Bridge on Sunday, one day before the start of the Republican National Convention.
A man participates in a peaceful, silent demonstration on Cleveland's Lorain-Carnegie Bridge on Sunday, one day before the Republican National Convention's start.
A peaceful demonstration did not keep the police from making a presence on Sunday during a "Stand for Love" demonstration on Cleveland's Lorain-Carnegie Bridge.
Amy Burns, of Mansfield, stands hand-in-hand in silence during a Stand for Love demonstration on Cleveland's Loraine-Carnegie Bridge on Sunday, one day before the start of the Republican National Convention.
A man participates in a peaceful, silent demonstration on Cleveland's Lorain-Carnegie Bridge on Sunday, one day before the Republican National Convention's start.
A peaceful demonstration did not keep the police from making a presence on Sunday during a "Stand for Love" demonstration on Cleveland's Lorain-Carnegie Bridge.
CLEVELAND — A large crowd dressed in white t-shirts embroidered with “Stand for Love” blanketed Cleveland’s Lorain-Carnegie Bridge with silence Sunday afternoon.
The event served as a peaceful precursor to the week’s expected protest marches scheduled on the same bridge. Amy Burns, of Mansfield, her husband and friend Nancy Wasen, of Ashland, joined in on the silent demonstration.
“Looking up and down this bridge and seeing all these people, all being silent, it’s pretty empowering, it’s pretty powerful,” Wasen said minutes after the silence.
The event was organized by Congregation of St. Joseph Sister Rita Petruziello. She was inspired by the song, “Circle the City with Love” by Kathy Sherman. Participants gathered at 1 p.m. and ended at 3:30 p.m. after standing silently hand in hand for 30 minutes.
“Prayer happens in silence,” Burns said. “I looked at it as being quiet and centering your mind, and being in the moment and being surrounded by other people with the same kind of energy.”
In June, Cleveland designated the Lorain-Carnegie Bridge as the only parade route in the city. The marches begin Monday at noon for every hour until 5 p.m. Groups like “Stop Trump” and a white supremacist group are expected to Monday and throughout the week.
Burns said she came to participate in the silent demonstration because presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump attracts negativity.
“I wanted to do something to counter that,” Burns said.
Wasen chimed in.
“I’m sixty-six years old and I never thought in my life I’d ever see a candidate such as Donald Trump actually being a viable candidate and that people would support him … It’s very scary to me,” Wasen said.
