Protestors at city hall denounce recent killings of Black Americans

PLATTSBURGH | Masked and holding signs addressing some of the recent killings of Black men in the U.S., a small, peaceful group of a dozen or so individuals stood at the steps of city hall in Plattsburgh midday Friday, May 29, drawing attention from passersby. Some observers could be seen honking in support as they drove past the group, while at least one person shouted discouragingly out their car window. Peaceful protestors in downtown Plattsburgh on Fri., May 29 hold signs creating further awareness of and denouncing recent killings of black Americans at the hands of law enforcement. Alina Walentowicz The group sought to bring attention to multiple now-deceased individuals in particular: George Floyd, suffocated by a white male police officer who knelt on his neck for a duration of eight minutes, as the black man repeatedly gasped the words "I can't breathe". Some reports say this was not the first time the arresting officer had demonstrated unacceptable behavior when apprehending a person of color. Hand-written signs held by the individuals in the Plattsburgh protest group also referenced the recent death of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery, who was ambushed and shot down in Brunswick, GA while jogging back in February. Movements like this one, on small and large scales, and of varying degrees of violent and non-violent behavior, have been visible across the U.S. in the last week, most notably in Minneapolis, MN where looting protestors were tear-gassed by law enforcement attempting to regain control of the scene amidst the pandemic. Beyond this, a CNN reporter and other crew members were recently detained, in spite of showing credentials, on site at the Minneapolis event for not relocating while live on air, but soon returned—after being released—to provide further coverage. The governor of Minnesota has since apologized to the crew. The officer responsible for Floyd's death, Derek Chauvin, has now been apprehended on the charges of third-degree murder and manslaughter. Attendees say monument vandalism unrelated The Macdonough Monument overlooking the Saranac River and Lake Champlain in front of Plattsburgh City Hall was recently vandalized with the acronym "A.C.A.B.", which is commonly accepted to stand for "all cops are bastards", according to attendee David Yocum. "This is the kind of stuff that will give us protestors a bad name," declared Yocum, who said he and his son decided to attend after coming across information about the organized effort on Facebook, though the identity of the organizer was unclear. Yocum also said, as a man who considers himself "mixed race", he has experienced, observed and discussed instances of racial profiling during his time living in Plattsburgh, calling it "scary as heck". As a local delivery driver, he said he has been pulled over before while on the clock for simply "looking suspicious". "White people are tired, Black people are tired. We are worn out," he went on. "We need to make the point that this can't happen anymore. It's not right." When asked, individuals present at the protest said they had not yet seen the spray-painted portion of the monument, which was located on the side of the structure facing the Saranac River. Some also noted they were unfamiliar with the acronym.

Signup for our newsletter

Protestors at city hall denounce recent killings of Black Americans

COMPANY

CUSTOMER SUPPORT

SUBMISSION FORMS

BEYOND THE NEWS