"We just want to be treated the same as everybody else."

Marquis Merricks, Kensington resident and member of the Block Church Group

Editor’s note: The responses have been lightly edited for clarity and conciseness.

What do you think of everything that’s going on in the neighborhood and the protests?

It’s sad, it’s tragic, because this is a beautiful neighborhood. People could have done better after the protests. What they did was wrong. They got a point across at least, but I feel like we shouldn’t go any further than what they were doing before because that definitely isn’t the way.

What outcome(s) from these protests do you hope to see in your community?

Justice and equality. We just want to be treated the same as everybody else. We are all human beings. It’s nothing against the cops, nothing against anybody. It’s just that we want to be treated the same as everyone else because we’re no different than everybody else.

What are the issues that you would like the Kenney administration, city council, and the rest of the city government to focus on in the upcoming budget to help your community?

Rehabilitation centers for people who are [experiencing homelessness] and using drugs. We should also come up with more extracurricular activities for kids to get teenagers off the blocks and all that. That’s one thing with our group. It’s like an organization for the youth in order to keep [them] out of the streets. It’s Christian, also, so it brings us to the light of Jesus Christ.

To read more community responses, click here.

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