Black Lives Matter demonstration at Country Club Plaza protests violence and police brutality

A Black Lives Matter demonstration at the Country Club Plaza on Friday afternoon drew dozens of people who protested violence in the community and police brutality.

Protesters gathered about 6 p.m. to march near J.C. Nichols Parkway and Emanuel Cleaver II Boulevard, carrying signs that read “Where’s the Love? Black Lives Matter” and “Put Down the Guns, Raise Up the Peace.”

Some demonstrators lined the street, inviting honking horns from sympathetic motorists.

“We’re down here to raise awareness about our community,” said Terryl Robinson of Kansas City, one of the event organizers. “Enough is enough on the black-on-black crimes and the police brutality. We’re here to come together as one — one voice, one sound, one mind. United we stand, divided we fall.”

Friday’s demonstration was the latest in a series of vigils and similar events following controversial fatal police shootings in Baton Rouge, La., and St. Paul, Minn., earlier this month.

Both shootings were captured in part or in whole on cellphone video cameras. The killings sparked protests across the country that continued in an environment of heightened tensions after a lone gunman killed five police officers at a protest in Dallas on July 7.

This story was originally published July 15, 2016 at 8:33 PM with the headline "Black Lives Matter demonstration at Country Club Plaza protests violence and police brutality."