'Nothing will change unless we're all united' - Protesters march for Black Lives Matter in Glenview

A diverse group of nearly 500 people participated in a Black Lives Matter protest and march Thursday in downtown Glenview.

After gathering in a parking lot at Railroad Avenue and Glenview Road just before 11 a.m., the protesters matched east to Waukegan Road and back twice before reassembling in the parking lot to observe a 46-second moment of silence.

The time signified the last seconds of the 8 minutes and 46 seconds that Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee on George Floyd's neck. Floyd's death has led to protests throughout the U.S., and other nations as well, in the weeks since.

Nate Shannon, 21, of Glenview organized the event as an opportunity for people to stand together for change and to have empathy for one another.

"Everyone else who is out here knows that they can look at another race and treat them equally without having to look at their skin color," Shannon said.

Evanston resident Trey Harris, a friend of Shannon's, was at the front of the march and led the chants.

Among the chants was "Justice for Breonna! Justice for George!" referring to Breonna Taylor, a black woman who was shot by police in Louisville earlier this year as they attempted to serve a warrant, and the latter for Floyd.

Christine Thompson and her children, Connor, 12, and Shea, 9, were there to march against police brutality and racism.

"We really believe in the cause, and I wanted to teach my children how important it is to accept all people," Thompson said.

After the moment of silence, more than half the group dispersed, but those who remained continued to march to Waukegan Road and back.

"I want them to understand that nothing will change unless we're all united," Shannon said. "And make everyone else see we can stand hand in hand and make a change."