Protesters in Rockville Centre demand racial justice

Updated.

Hundreds of protesters marched through Rockville Centre’s streets on Sunday demanding racial justice in the wake of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis Police custody.

A group of South Side High School students and graduates organized the demonstration, including 18-year-old Kerryn Cleary, who said she has been protesting in Manhattan for the past few days. She and her fellow organizers felt that because of racial segregation on Long Island and in Rockville Centre, there needed to be a local protest.

“It’s 2020,” Cleary said. “It’s time to stop murdering black people for the color of their skin and to stop segregating.”

The marchers congregated in Municipal Park Lot No. 12, on the corner of Long Beach Road and Sunrise Highway, around 4 p.m. and received honks of approval from cars that passed by. One man, 67-year-old Bob Brenner, of Mattituck, held two signs that read "Stop Racism.” Brenner, who is white, previously lived in Rockville Centre and was visiting relatives.

“People have to realize it’s old people, too, that are outraged about this,” he said. “That’s why I’m out here. Really at this point, enough is enough. Maybe finally, after all these years, we’ll get some racial equality in this country.”

Chrystal Achille, 33, of Rockville Centre was also among the marchers. Achille, who is black, is a pediatrician at a private practice on Long Island. She said that similar to what she deals with in her profession, the issues she came out to protest are a matter of “life and death.”

“It’s vital,” she said. “This is my community, and I’m so pleased to see the diversity here. As a black person, I am so moved to see white faces speaking out for black lives.”

Before the march began, Terrel Tuosto, of West Hempstead, who is black, spoke into a megaphone and led a chant of “Black Lives Matter.”

“We need to see police officers be held accountable for their wrongful actions, their prejudices,” he told the crowd. “We need to see other cops, the good cops with the good hearts, be incentivized [and] be able to have something good happen to them if they speak out against this racism and this oppression that is happening to us.”

Rockville Centre Village Police patrolled the area where the protest began near Long Beach Road. Nassau County Police blocked off roads and created a path for protesters to march north of Sunrise in the village.

In an email to the Herald, James Vafeades, Village Police Commissioner, expressed the department’s sympathies to the Floyd family. “We will continue to partner with the community to keep Rockville Centre a safe place to live,” he added. “We are determined to maintain an open dialogue with our community leaders in an effort to educate and enlighten each other while building trust and respect.”

As the march proceeded, chants of “No Justice, No Peace; No Racist Police,” “I Can’t Breathe,” “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” and “Say His Name, George Floyd” filled the air. Many protesters held signs that read “Black Lives Matter,” “Silence is Shameful” and “Skin Color is Not A Reasonable Suspicion,” among many other messages.

The marchers took several stops for people to speak about racial inequality, including in front of the Rockville Centre Police Department on Maple Avenue. They stopped to kneel for about eight minutes, the amount of time that Officer Derek Chauvin had his knee on Floyd’s neck before he died.

Aaron Duggan, of South Hempstead, condemned redlining in Long Island communities. “This whole thing started way, way before any of us were even here,” he said. “It’s been going on for generations, and it’s our job to unite as people regardless of the color of our skin.” 

While everyone knelt in front of the village police station, an unidentified woman made an emotional plea to the crowd.

“Do you assume that he is a bad person because of his skin color?” she said in anguish, referring to her son. “Evan, stand up.”

Her young son stood among the kneeling protesters, and the crowd cheered for him.

“Just think about the mothers who have laid their children to rest before their time,” she continued. “Each name — Breonna Taylor… George Floyd left behind a daughter. There are so many lives. For what? … For what…”