‘We’re not here for the same reasons’
Protesters in Greenwich peacefully call for action
GREENWICH — Protesters of all ages turned out Monday evening at an angry but peaceful rally outside the town’s Public Safety Complex on Greenwich Avenue, denouncing police brutality against minorities and demanding action.
The local rally, which was organized organically over social media,
was spurred by the death last week of George Floyd in Minneapolis in police custody.
The incident has caused international protest after video surfaced of Police Officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes while Floyd stated that he could not breathe. Chauvin has been charged with thirddegree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
In Greenwich, protesters carried homemade signs and chanted “I can’t breathe,” “Black Lives Matter” and “we want justice.” They also demanded a dialogue with police and town officials.
“I have been stopped on Greenwich Avenue just because I was black,” said a protester who identified herself only as Christina. “They would not tell me why they were stopping me and my friends from walking. I have had cops called on me at my building where I live. … I’ve been here since I was a student at Greenwich High School and the racial profiling has not stopped.”
Several other protesters told of alleged incidents of racial profiling by the Greenwich Police Department and demanded answers to their complaints of unfair treatment.
Randy Brown said Greenwich police officers have accused him several times of stealing cars.
“There was an incident just last night where they came to my house where I was in my driveway,” Brown said. “I didn’t know they were cops at first. I was scared for my life. This can happen to anyone. I’ve been stopped numerous times, but I have never in my life been charged or arrested or even ticketed.”
The size of the crowd ballooned and shrank throughout the protest, which was still continuing more than two hours after its 5 p.m. sart. At its peak, more than 100 people were outside the GPD headquarters. During that time, no one attempted to enter the building and the protest remained nonviolent.
Will Armstrong, one of the more vocal of the protesters, said that as a white male he wanted to use his voice to speak out against injustice.
“We want to bring awareness to the people of Greenwich about the injustices that are going on within the rest of the country — considering we do live in such a sheltered area,” Armstrong said. “We do not want anybody to get hurt. We don’t condone looting. We don’t condone vandalism or anything like that. We want to have everyone’s voices heard in an equal way because they’re not being heard and that’s a huge issue.”
Meeting with protesters
Chief of Police James Heavey and Capt.
Kraig Gray, head of the GPD’s patrol division, met with the protesters outside. At first, both were frustrated when they were shouted down by protesters, but eventually all sides were heard.
Heavey, Gray and other officers took a knee when the crowd demanded it in a show of solidarity.
“We’re here for the same reasons,” Gray said. “We want justice for all, and when you do wrong you suffer the consequences. Wrong is wrong and that officer was charged. We’re here to keep the peace. We respect everyone’s rights.”
Heavey and Gray said the actions shown in the video are shameful and that Chauvin deserved to be arrested. But several of the more vocal protesters rejected that sentiment, saying, “We’re not here for the same reasons.” They said that their complaints have been ignored and that profiling has gone on for too long.
When Heavey said he was listening, one protester shouted back, “That’s not good enough.”
“We’re really trying to listen and communicate to you that this isn’t just some kind of show and we’re going to forget about it,” Heavey said. “We are here as your police department. You deserve a good police department, and we have a good police department. If there are injustices, we will address them. If you have a complaint, we will look into it.”
Heavey said the Greenwich Police Department was ready to listen and that any complaint filed against an officer has and will continue to be investigated. He urged anyone with a complaint to make themselves heard — and said complaints can be made anonymously. Heavey also suggested calling the chief ’s office, filling out a form at the GPD or at Town Hall and doing it online.
Complaints have not mattered in the past, Rosanna Neri said; the GPD needs to show the community that they will matter from now on.
First Selectman Fred Camillo was at the police headquarters on an unrelated reason but came out to speak when protesters began chanting “Where’s Fred?”
“When we see an injustice like we saw in Minnesota, you should be here and you should be talking and expressing your views,” Camillo told the protesters. “But this in no way reflects on this police department, which goes above and beyond community relations.”
Camillo gave his cellphone number to several protesters and told protester Johnny Alexander that he would “make an extra effort” to keep the dialogue going.
Camillo and Heavey voted to meet with protesters and continue talking, inviting them to come to the monthly Community and Police Partnership meetings with the GPD.
“We’re tired and things need to change,” Priscilla Rodriguez said.