'I felt like it was my family': The stories behind the protesters
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina -- They came because they wanted to march with their city. They came because they were too outraged not to. They came from Charlotte, or they came from elsewhere.
Demonstrators protesting Tuesday's fatal police shooting of a black man named Keith Scott in Charlotte had many reasons for marching through the Queen City's streets well past sundown.
SEE ALSO:Define 'bad dude': The story behind a protester's strong messageThey've continued to march through Charlotte for four straight days as protests have gone from scenes of tear gas and burning heaps of trash to stern but calm marches through the shiny glass fronts of the city's downtown.
We asked many of them why they made the decision to come out.
Ashlee ThomasCredit: MASHABLE/COLIN DAILEDAAshlee Thomas
Thomas, like many on Friday, saw for the first time a video of the final moments of Keith Scott's life, recorded by his wife in the moments before and after he was shot by police. After that, she didn't feel she had a choice but to march.
"I didn't want to get into all of this, but I'm a black person, black lives matter and I can't keep watching black lives get murdered by the police," Thomas said.
"I've gotta do something. I don't know if this is the resolution, but I'm down for trying."
Micheal BatesCredit: MASHABLE/COLIN DAILEDAMichael Bates
Like Thomas, Bates watched video recorded by Keith Scott's wife in the moments before and after Scott was shot by police, and decided he couldn't just sit at his home in Greensboro, about a 90 minute drive from Charlotte.
"I felt like it was my family. I felt like it was a personal attack. That's what I felt, so I had to come, show my effort," he said.
Bobby KnoxCredit: MASHABLE/COLIN DAILEDABobby Knox
Bobby Knox says he was surrounded by threats growing up in Charlotte. He watched people lose their lives over "petty stuff" and felt constantly watched by police.
"I could barely go to the store without being harassed by police. You can't even go to the store without fearing for your life," he said.
Stephen FriseonCredit: MASHABLE/COLIN DAILEDAStephen Friseon
"I came out because I'm tired of seeing black males getting gunned down. It's too much. At this point it's like there's no compassion," Friseon said.
"I'm mad man. I woke up and, honestly it started with the whole shooting in Tulsa. I just got pissed off. Enough is enough."
Perniece MendezCredit: MASHABLE/COLIN DAILEDAPerneice Mendez
Perneice Mendez has been protesting in one way or another since the now-infamous George Zimmerman killed a black teenager named Trayvon Martin in 2012, and was found not guilty of murder.
"I knew something was wrong," she said. "I started learning my history."
Now, she views activism as an obligation.
"It's just something that you have to do. You can't sit at home and then complain about everything that's going on. Sitting home being silent is the same as you pulling the trigger," she said.
Brendon Sanders, rightCredit: MASHABLE/COLIN DAILEDABrendon Sanders
Brendon Sanders has wanted to be more of an activist for some time now. Living in Greensboro, he wondered how he might go about doing that, and found his answer earlier this week as protests rocked Charlotte.
"I've been wanting to do it for myself for a long time. I've been anticipating something like this coming along. It's a mess. So I've been waiting for the moment to get a little more hands on with my approach," he said.
Jerel PatriceCredit: MASHABLE/COLIN DAILEDAJerel Patrice
"It's time for things to really change. I've seen a lot of these things happen in other cities. When you see it in another city it's almost like a movie, but when it's here it's real real," Patrice said.
"People don't really realize what it is to be a black man. We appreciate all the love from other races, but it's a totally different story to be a black man."
Nikki MitchellCredit: MASHABLE/COLIN DAILEDANikki Mitchell
"I came out because I know there's a disparity in the treatment of African American and impoverished people with the police," Mitchell said.
"I think there's a problem when terrorists and persons of the majority can be taken down and apprehended when African Americans are gunned down and the poor are gunned down."