George Floyd protests continue in Valley Stream

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Demonstrations protesting the police killing of George Floyd continued in Valley Stream on Thursday as more than 100 people gathered around 1 p.m. at the Hendrickson Park pool parking lot before making a circuit to the Village Green and back.

Organized by 16-year-old Valley Stream South High School student Edan Jeanlouis, it was the third day of local protests this week denouncing police violence against black people, and set against a backdrop of national turmoil sparked after Floyd was killed on May 25 in Minneapolis police custody. It was originally scheduled for Wednesday but postponed due to bad weather.

Jeanlouis said he organized the gathering to ensure black voices continued to be heard in every neighborhood until change was realized, and joked that his mother wouldn’t allow him to demonstrate anywhere else.

“I put this out kind of on a whim. I was sick and tired of seeing everyone else hold a protest and not Valley Stream,” he said noting that Monday and Tuesday’s demonstrations had garnered only passing recognition.

He recounted feelings of anxiety every time he caught sight of a police car, and cited the 2012 shooting of Trayvon Martin, who was killed while walking home from a convenience store.

“Me and my friends go out to the deli all the time,” Jeanlouis said. “Imagine getting shot just for doing that? That’s crazy.”

Within the crowd, 17-year-old Valley Stream North High School student Tayler Rochester said it was her first protest, and that she was attending to show support for the Black Lives Matter movement. She had heard about it through social media.

“I hope that everyone starts to realize that black lives truly do matter because this has been an issue for so long and we’re in the year 2020,” She said. “The fact that people still have to fight for basic human rights; that shouldn’t be.”

Joelle Henry, 23, from Queens said: “I wanted to be able to tell my children when they grow up that I was out here protesting for what I believe in.”

She said she wanted to “actually see a change, not for two or three weeks, not for a month, but for the rest of my life and the rest of my little brother’s life.”

Upon reaching the Village Green, the group held a nine-minute moment of silence for Floyd. Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin had held his knee to Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes as Floyd pleaded for his life.  Chauvin has since been charged with second-degree murder in the killing. 

While peaceful, disagreements broke out early and throughout among the protestors over the most effective plan of action. Nassau County police on the scene prescribed a path for the march, warning that Merrick Road would be too busy for them to safely direct traffic. A subset of the protestors said following police orders ran counter to the purpose of the current movement and that Merrick Road, they said, offered a more visible path for them to walk. At one point, the detractors split off to head to Sunrise Highway, but eventually returned.

Others, however, argued that media coverage and continued protesting would provide that visibility and, hopefully, lead to reform.

“At the end of the day the police have done a lot of bad things, but I believe if we get our voices heard everywhere, the police can change, the system can change,” Jeanlouis said. “Everything about them can change, and I believe one day we will truly feel protected.”