TAMPA, Fla. -- An activist in Tampa Bay encourages protesters to go about sending their message the right way in order to truly see change. 

“Even in the context of COVID, and protests, and unrest all around us, there are remarkable things happening. There are remarkable acts of courage, of kindness and compassion in a way that we've never seen.  For the first time, the masses of people are united in a cry for change, real change,” said Micah Johnson, Ph.D.

Johnson said he’s been an activist for the last 14 years, ever since Martin Lee Anderson, a 14-year-old black boy, was killed while in custody in Panama City. 

He said the protests happening now in Tampa Bay and across the country are happening because people are fed up and want the strain between the black community and law enforcement to be fixed. 

While protesters want to see positive changes, things like community policing, procedural justice, and wide spread training in race relations, Johnson said their message won’t be heard if they express themselves in the wrong way. 

“It is important for folks who want to show support to understand that there are folks, there are activists, there are community leaders who dedicate their entire lives to social injustice. There are folks who train and study and work daily to perfect methods -- respect those methods,” said Johnson.