WATCH: Pleasantville residents call for end to inequality at 'March for Justice'

At least 60 people arrived at the west end of Martin Luther King Avenue for Pleasantville March for Justice. A little after 1 p.m., the crowd began moving east along the avenue, chanting “No justice, no peace!” “Black lives matter!” “Get your knee off my neck!” and more.

As with many of the demonstrations, a table was set up at the end of the route with voter registration forms.

“Us, as Afro-Americans, need to get out and vote,” said Aungie Alexander, 57 of Pleasantville. “We need to realize what’s going on, and it starts in your hometown. We need to get our city in line first.”

The march ended at Pleasantville City Hall, where the crowd listened to speakers at the podium.

Among the speakers were N.J. 2nd Congressional District Democratic candidates Brigid Callahan Harrison and Will Cunningham.

Cunningham, who has been to marches like this all over the state, said it’s imperative to join the people in the streets.

“My 13-year-old Black body was thrown on the ground in Vineland and handcuffed,” Cunningham told the crowd. “’Wrong place, wrong time,’ but there’s no wrong place and wrong time. America’s my place. (There’s) no wrong time because it’s always the right time to treat someone humanely. Black people are humans. We have humanity. See us. Understand us. Respect us.”

Harrison said that as a white woman, she has an obligation to listen and understand the frustration of the Black community.

“In our moment of need, we need leadership to stand up and speak this truth: Black lives matter,” Harrison said. “Black lives matter not just when a man is being pinned down by the knees of a police officer, Black lives matter from the moment a Black child enters the world from the healthcare that he receives as an infant, to the schools that he attends as a child, to the food that he eats as a teenager, to the opportunities he has a young man.”

Atlantic County Freeholder Ashley Bennett also spoke. According to city Councilman Tony Davenport, it was important to have people running for office come and speak so people can get a better chance to know them.

“We have to make sure that we hold these people accountable, and know what their stances are,” Davenport said before introducing Cunningham and Harrison.

Davenport also stressed the importance of continuing the demand for change long after protests end.

“This peaceful show of unity is something that I feel is long overdue,” Davenport said, “and must continue after we leave this event today.”

The march was organized by the Mt. Zion Baptist Church Justice Project. The church’s pastor, Willie Francois, ended the event with an impassioned speech about the importance of Black lives.

“This is not even about whether or not Black lives matter because we know Black lives have always mattered in this country,” Francois said. “The slave trade proved that Black lives matter. The fact that Jim Crow put money into white pockets proved that Black lives matter. The fact that politicians show up to Black churches once a year to pimp our vote and pimp our pews tells us that Black lives matter.

“This is not a question of whether or not Black lives matter. This is a question of whether or not Black lives are safe in this country, and we’re going to fight for the safety of Black lives.”