The events leading up to June 4th – most searingly, the pre-curfew clearing of peaceful protesters engaging in lawful protest out of D.C.‘s Lafayette Square by a National Guard force and other elements for a presidential photo-op – led me to join a similar march in Atlanta that evening. It was a decision made not without trepidation. I, too, was outraged over George Floyd’s death at the hands of police action that was quite evidently unjustified and highly symbolic. I wanted to add my voice to the collective cry of “enough” and the demand for long past-due change to end systemic racism. But, the recent images of police in anti-riot gear advancing on horses and protesters abandoning COVID-19 physical-distancing precautions as they were fleeing tear gas made for a daunting prospect.