Thousands march peacefully through Merrick, Bellmore on third night of protests

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Thousands of demonstrators from all over Long Island flooded the streets of Bellmore and Merrick Thursday evening for the third consecutive day of local Black Lives Matter protests. 

Protesters began to arrive at the Merrick Long Island Rail Road Station around 4:30 p.m. An hour later, the intersection of Merrick Avenue and Sunrise Highway was clogged with people — some of whom were kneeling around a Nassau County Police cruiser — delaying traffic in all directions.

The sea of black, brown and white faces — many covered with masks — roared as they chanted "Black Lives Matter," "I can't breathe" and "say his name," referring to George Floyd. They brandished handmade signs decreeing an end to racism as drones and helicopters drummed overhead.

The sizable crowd moved southbound on Merrick Avenue just after 5:30 to begin the march through Merrick and Bellmore. In some cases, they filled entire residential blocks end to end. 

Outside the Merrick Library, Alyson Jones, of Bay Shore, offered up water bottles, snacks and blank poster paper to protestors passing by. She even had markers on hand so people could make their own signs.  Jones said she was "very impressed" by the protest, and that its message made her "hopeful for change."

"A lot of people are saying that protesting isn’t going to do anything, but it’s showing that the people are united," Jones said. "We’re not gonna stand [by] and let the government do whatever they want, especially when it comes to people’s lives."

Ari Russo came from New York City to protest through her hometown. "This day is a message to show that we don’t welcome racism or hate," she said.  "We welcome all types of people to stand together and spread the message that black lives matter."

As the crowd moved southbound on Hewlett Avenue from the library, Merrick resident Christina, who's African-American, denounced the attitudes of the counter protesters who demonstrated against the Black Lives Matter movement Tuesday night.

"They're worried about us 'destroying the neighborhood', but we live here," she said. "We can’t even live in our own neighborhoods anymore."

Bellmore resident Daniel Perlin also neglected to have the counter protesters respresent his neighborhood, adding that the viral video encouraged him to join the march. 

As the march moved from street to street, neighbors came out of their homes to observe the protest from their porches, stoops and sidewalks. Hewlett Avenue resident Trisevgani Cupi commended the protestors for keeping the peace.

"It's so nice to see [young people] involved in things that really matter," she said. "It’s an important issue, and if your voices are heard and something is done, then it was worth everything. I believe that."

Less than an hour after the march left the train station, there were still pockets of people following the route, seemingly streaming from every corner of the hamlet. 

Andrew Garcia contributed to this story.