TOLEDO, Ohio —
With protests and rallies happening in our community, one man took it upon himself to host a rally to honor police officers and their work.
On Thursday, about a dozen people came to downtown Toledo's Safety Building and stood outside to show support for the Toledo Police Department.
WTOL spoke with some of the citizens that showed up to the rally and they said to them this isn't just a rally; it's personal.
"My father, my uncles, my cousin...I come from a family of Toledo police," explained Shanna Williams, a rally supporter.
“My son decided he wanted to be police officer and I always respected the police. I grew up in Toledo my whole life, since I was a year-and-a-half-years old," said rally organizer, Tony Dia.
Dia put together this rally to bring people together and show support to the officers in our community.
"You know Toledoans... We're better than rest of this country. Love always beats hate, so hopefully us Toledoans can come together and give this police department another chance, if you ever had a bad experience with them. Let's love each other and respect each other," said Dia.
To wrap up the rally, the group marched to One Government Center carrying flags showing the pro-police symbol of a blue line.
Dia says that this rally is only the beginning and he plans to host more in the future.