Peaceful George Floyd Protests Held in Hudson Valley (Photos)
Peaceful protests regarding the death of George Floyd were held across the Hudson Valley.
Floyd died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck during an arrest on Memorial day. Video of Floyd's arrest shows an officer with his knee on Floyd's neck as Floyd says he can't "breathe." Four officers involved in the fatal arrest have already been fired.
Demonstrations were held across the nation and across New York. A number of protests turned violent, including in New York City, but it appears all went well in the Hudson Valley.
Demonstrations were held across the region, including in Orange, Dutchess and Ulster Counties.
Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro said Monday on WPDH he was proud residents responded to start peaceful conversations.
"Today, we shine a light on injustice. Today, we chose to be peacemakers," Molinaro said on Facebook after attending a demonstration. "The taking of life cannot be met by the taking of life. It cannot be undone by destroying each other. It is right to be angry, pained and heartbroken. It is right to express that anger, pain and sadness. Attacking innocent neighbors, and destroying their property is not. Leaders and neighbors must seek justice. We must be peacemakers. That requires we confront intolerance. It requires we shine a light on hate. It requires we seek justice. It requires us to choose to be peacemakers."
On Sunday, about 700 voiced their message in Monore. The peaceful protest allowed residents to voice their concerns to police officers, police say.
"The Monroe Police Department would like to thank the community organizers for their cooperation in accomplishing a peaceful demonstration. Chief Darwin Guzman and other officials had the opportunity to speak with the community organizers and listened to their concerns. Approximately 700 peaceful protesters voiced their message and they were successfully heard around the ponds and beyond. We appreciate the opportunity to have an open and meaningful dialogue with our community members. The Monroe Police would like to thank all the other law enforcement agencies that assisted us with this event," the Monroe Police Department wrote on Facebook.
A "Justice For George Floyd March Against Racist State Violence" march was held Saturday in New Paltz and officials are "proud" about how the community responded.
"We are so proud of everyone who marched, drove, volunteered and supported from home yesterday. We simply set this event up and you all together, we all - had an amazing expression of solidarity in the streets along with people around the globe. Everyone did a wonderful job working together during a challenging time to organize," Kevin Halcott wrote on the Facebook event page.