PROTESTS FOR GEORGE
Trenton joins many other cities hosting demonstration to voice anger with the brutal death of George Floyd »
TRENTON » No justice, no peace.
Homicide victim George Floyd, who died during a dreadful encounter with Minneapolis Police, has inspired protests all over America, including here in the City of Trenton.
“Reform is not enough,” a woman said Saturday afternoon in front of the New Jersey Statehouse. “The system itself is the problem.”
Standing on the 100 block of West State Street, more than 100 demonstrators voiced their outrage over what happened to Floyd in the Midwest.
During the evening of May 25, Minneapolis Police placed Floyd in a dangerous restraint and held him on the ground for almost nine minutes as the victim repeatedly said, “I can’t breathe.”
Officers Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng have been fired from the police force, while Minnesota prosecutors have charged Chauvin with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the aftermath of the homicide.
Chauvin, a 44-yearold white man, placed his knee in the area of Floyd’s head and neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, according to the criminal complaint. The cops tried to force Floyd into submission, deeming him a suspect in a forgery case.
Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, became unresponsive during the restraint. Medics subsequently transported him to Hennepin County Medical Center in Minnesota, where he was pronounced dead. A medical examiner determined the combined effects of Floyd being restrained by the police, his underlying health conditions and any potential intoxicants in his system likely contributed to his death, according to Minnesota court documents.
Floyd’s fatal encounter, captured on video for the world to see, has sparked at least three nights of civil unrest in Minneapolis.
Trenton’s Saturday afternoon protest proved to be peaceful in a capital city full of violence. The demonstrators did not necessarily practice social distancing — ignoring Gov. Phil Murphy’s six-feet-spacing rule against non-essential congregations — but Mayor Reed Gusciora allowed it to take place.
“We don’t have to destroy property, and we can get the message out,” Gusciora told the crowd, adding Trenton Police have embraced “sensitivity training” on how to serve and protect this predominantly black community of 85,000 people, including the mentally ill.
Gusciora released a statement on Friday saying he was “outraged by the senseless death of Mr. George Floyd.”
“I believe that the police officers involved in this deadly incident, led by Derek Chauvin, should be indicted for their actions,” Gusciora added. “I stand with the family of Mr. Floyd. I stand with the law enforcement officers and leadership across America who have condemned this egregious act. I wholeheartedly agree that it demands a complete examination by top investigators, including the FBI.”
A diverse gathering, Trenton’s protest on Saturday integrated blacks and whites, elders and youth, males and females for a common cause. Many of the attendees held signs emblazoned with messages such as, “Black lives matter,” “The Second Amendment was written when I was deemed 3/5 of a person!!” and “I can’t breathe.”
Michael Walker, a Trenton city spokesman, told the protesters to vote, saying the exercise of enfranchisement rights has the power to prevent police brutality.
“If you do not exercise your right to vote when it is time to do so,” he said, “this crap is going to continue.”
Others advocated justice and peace.
“We need resources as well,” a city man said at the protest. “Black men are not animals.”
Downtown Trenton is generally a ghost town on weekends, but a number of motorists drove up West State Street to honk their horns in solidarity with the protesters.
Everyone appeared to be wearing a face covering, a legacy of the COVID-19 public health emergency.