KITCHENER -- Hundreds of people turned up at a march in support of the Black Lives Matter movement in Brantford on Thursday, but unlike other similar rallies, the chief of police addressed the crowd.

"We see a lot of racism here every day. It comes from police, it comes from elected officials, and we are here to let them know something is going to happen,” says march organizer Aleshea Wilson.

Unlike the Black Lives Matter march in Kitchener last week, where police were specifically asked not to march, organizers in Brantford asked their Chief of Police Rob Davis to both attend and speak.

“It begins with acknowledging that racism, discrimination, marginalization are real in this country. We have to be the change, we have to become the system,” Davis said to the crowd using a megaphone on Thursday.

Davis is the only Indigenous police chief in Ontario who serves a non-Indigenous police service.

He told the crowd he was conflicted about speaking because he didn’t want to draw attention away from the rally, but wanted a chance to speak about the racism he has encountered.

“I want to be here, in my heart I want to be here, but I don’t want to cause any issues, I don’t want to be the target and I don’t want to be misinterpreted,” he said.

“I am extremely proud to be from Six Nations, and I am extremely proud to be the only Indigenous police chief leading a non-Indigenous police service in this province.”

Throughout his career working for forces across the country, he said he has experienced racism first hand.

During his speech, Davis also called out inaction by the government on a number of inquiries involving Aboriginal people in Canada, including the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

The protest comes as cities around the world express anger over the death of George Floyd last month.

Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, died after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee on his neck for almost nine minutes while Floyd pleaded for air.

Thousands of people also took to the streets in Guelph and in Kitchener last week to protest racism and police brutality.