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Local protest of George Floyd death is peaceful

6 min read
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Courtesy of Crystal Marie Notaro

In a show of solidarity with other protests that took place around the country, protesters stand holding signs outside of Washington County Courthouse last week.

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Courtesy of Suzanne Kelley

Suzanne Kelley and Nikki Johnson, who organized Saturday’s peaceful protest in honor of George Floyd, stand with signs outside of Washington County Courthouse.

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courtesy of Crystal Marie Notaro

Protesters hold signs Sunday afternoon outside of Washington County Courthouse.

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courtesy of Crystal Marie Notaro

Protesters stand Saturday afternoon outside of Washington County Courthouse. The peaceful protest was one of several protests that took place across the state, including one in Pittsburgh that turned violent.

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courtesy of Crystal Marie Notaro

Protesters hold signs Saturday afternoon outside of the Washington County Courthouse.

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courtesy of Crystal Marie Notaro

Participants at a peaceful protest hold signs Saturday afternoon outside of Washington County Courthouse, where they protested the death of George Floyd.

A group of Washington residents gathered in downtown Washington Saturday to honor the life of George Floyd and to show solidarity with others around the country who are protesting his death.

During the peaceful protest, about 30 people lined South Main Street in front of the Washington County Courthouse chanting for justice for Floyd, who died in Minneapolis police custody after a police officer knelt with his knee on Floyd’s neck until he stopped breathing.

“I’m outraged by the officers and how they held him for eight minutes and 46 seconds,” said Suzanne Kelley of Washington, one of the event’s organizers. “The way they treated him, it was inhumane. I don’t condone violence and what’s happened this week, and our rally was peaceful, but I’m frustrated. If that video of that man didn’t do something to you, I don’t know what to say. I just can’t believe what happened to that man.”

Kelley said she believes some of the violence at protests has occurred because the three other police officers involved in Floyd’s death have not yet been arrested or charged.

Protesters stood in front of the courthouse for about an hour. They chanted “I can’t breathe” and “What’s his name?” and carried signs that said “Justice for George Floyd,” “I can’t breathe,” and “Black Lives Matter.”

Kelley said two city police officers monitored the protest, but were friendly and remained until the participants dispersed.

Kelley also encouraged people to vote in national and local elections in order to bring about change.

“People need to vote to get people they feel who are not making a positive difference in this country out of office. Definitely, register to vote.” said Kelley.

Nikki Johnson, who helped organize the event, said the protest allowed people to share their grief and frustration and to show solidarity.

Four police officers were fired following Floyd’s death, and Chauvin was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.

Meanwhile, a protest in Pittsburgh turned violent Saturday night, when rioting and looting broke out, people were injured, and a police car was burned.

Dr. Rueben Brock, professor of psychology at California University of Pennsylvania, attended the Pittsburgh protest, but left before the violence erupted.

Until that point, he said the protest has been “uplifting and cooperative” and he was inspired by the diversity of the crowd.

“I actually was really pleased to see that. We stayed for a while, and left because it was relatively uneventful and we’d participated and seen what we wanted to see, but then by the time I got home, there was a police car on fire and it devolved into something different,” said Brock.

The killings of blacks, including Ahmaud Arbery, Breanna Taylor, Eric Garner, Philando Castile, and Trayvon Martin, have taken an emotional toll, and peaceful protests haven’t brought about change, so people have resorted to the angry protests that erupted across the country this week, Brock said.

“People are no longer willing to sit and wait for change. They’re going to push for change more aggressively. Even in midst of relatively peaceful day, there are people saying ‘No, we can’t just hold hands in the street. That’s what you’re seeing with these protests around the country. It’s getting to the point where people are saying, ‘Now we’re going to tear things up.’ People are saying, you don’t want to listen when I talk to you, I bet you’ll listen when I burn your building down.”

Brock continued, “America is exactly where we’ve been for a very long time. A lot of people think we’re at a boiling point, but black America knows we’ve been here for a hundred years, it’s just that now you see it. We have cell phones today. Because it’s in your face, everyone is seeing it, but that’s a good thing. Everyone has to be outraged. When only black or brown people are outraged, nothing changes. Everybody should feel uncomfortable. My hope is, honestly, that this awareness creates change. It’s long past time for this to be fixed.”

Gov. Tom Wolf on Sunday addressed the violence and looting that occurred during protests across Pennsylvania over the weekend.

“Every Pennsylvanian should speak out against violence and oppression, and the recent murder of George Floyd in Minnesota has rightfully outraged many of us. Pennsylvanians are joining together to speak out against this injustice, and make their voices heard, peacefully,” Wolf said. “But (Saturday) was a challenging day for many cities in our commonwealth were co-opted by violence and looting. This is unacceptable.”

On Saturday, Wolf signed a disaster emergency declaration to provide assistance to municipalities as they respond to the escalation of protests in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Harrisburg.

“Every day, in every corner of our society, we need to work at eliminating racism.”

Andy Goudy, president of the Washington branch of the NAACP, said he plans to meet this week with the city of Washington Police Department to discuss race relations and how to improve the relationship between the black community and police, which he believes is fractured.

“In Washington County, we’ve been fortunate, but what happened in Minnesota could very well happen down here if we’re not careful. I think it’s important to improve our relationship between the minority community and the police department, and I’m willing to do my part to make that happen,” said Goudy.

Brock said he’s dealt with racism throughout his lifetime.

“Everywhere I go in my life, I always have to remember I’m still a black male and someone might be threatened by my presence simply because of what I look like. It puts me in danger, not because of anything I’ve said or any interaction I’ve had with them,” Brock said. “My mom, my sister, my wife, they all have to worry about that every day.”

Brock, the father of three, including a teen-aged son and a nearly one-year-old daughter, said he fears for his children’s safety and has had conversations with his son about the dangers he will face because of the color of his skin.

“How awful is that?” Brock asked in a Youtube video he published Saturday. “You can’t teach someone not to be black. I can teach my son to be respectful, I can teach him to be kind, but I can’t, and I wouldn’t want to if I could choose to, teach him not to be black.”

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