Black Lives Matter protest in Ada honors Anthony Meely, George Floyd

Hundreds of people came together for a Black Lives Matter protest in Ada Friday evening in honor of Anthony Meely and George Floyd.

Participants marched to draw attention to police brutality and the unfair treatment of African Americans at the hands of law enforcement in the United States.

"I have a family member that was killed by the police, here in this town," said Tumain Black, one of the protesters. "This is for him and for everyone else around the world."

Community members handed out water from the side of Main Street, and people of all ages and backgrounds walked down the road side-by-side with police officers and Pontotoc County deputies toward the police department.

"It means a lot. Leading up to this, I was hurt. Being African American in this community, honestly, I was hurt. But being able to walk down these streets and do this for a good cause, it feels great. It's a blessing," said one of the protesters. "To see everybody come together as one, I think it's what we needed."

After reaching the department, the crowd kneeled for nearly nine minutes in honor of George Floyd, who died in police custody after a Minneapolis officer kneeled on his neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds.

Protesters wearing red wanted to draw attention to the in-custody death of Anthony Meely in Ada in October 2019.

The 36-year-old man died after a foot chase and fight with an Ada police officer.

Bodycam video showed the moments leading up to his death when two people nearby stepped in to help the officer put Meely in handcuffs by standing on his head and legs. That is when police say Meely went limp.

Days after his death, family and friends protested at the Ada Police Headquarters demanding answers, and held a memorial march to honor him in November.

At that time, the department issued a statement denying any different treatment for Meely based on his race.