Local community rallies for change by The Observer Staff | Jun 10, 2020 | Community, Featured Photos by Wil Crews/Opelika ObserverSunday afternoon, hundreds of people from the Auburn – Opelika area flocked to the historic Toomer’s Corner with a common goal of peacefully protesting police brutality and supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. The protesters marched from the intersection of College Street and Magnolia Avenue to the newly developed city police station. There, the protesters knelt in place to observe an eight minute and 46 second moment of silence in remembrance of George Floyd – the man who died while a Minneapolis police officer who a knee to his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds. The protesters then returned to Toomer’s corner to hear speeches from event coordinators. The event was coordinated with police and all intersecting streets were blocked off for the duration of the protest. The peaceful event, coordinated by Auburn Students and Community for Change lasted about two hours.Â