Canton community members filled the pews of Mount Olive Baptist Church Wednesday night to discuss policing and grieve the death of Frank Tyson.
Tyson, a Black man, died while being arrested by Canton police on April 18.
About a dozen members of the Tyson family filled the first two pews of the sanctuary.
"You occupy those seats today," Peoples Baptist Church Rev. Walter Arrington told them, "but they have been occupied by others, and there are yet others waiting in line to take your place cause it ain't over yet."
Dozens of community members expressed their condolences to the family and offered their support.
"We're hurting with you. Our ancestors are hurting. People not yet born are hurting," Arrington said, "but we are in the fight. And we're going to fight to the finish."
Many community members said they were upset by how police handled Tyson. Police pinned him to the ground and handcuffed him while an officer pressed his knee on his back. Tyson repeatedly yelled, "I can't breathe." He lay motionless on the ground for seven minutes before officers checked for a pulse.