A day after a series of vigils throughout Queens went off without escalation from police or demonstrators, protests continued in the World’s Borough on Saturday.
The vigils were held June 5 on what would have been Breonna Taylor’s 27th birthday. Taylor, a Black woman who was an EMT, was fatally shot by police officers in her apartment in Kentucky in March.
Taylor’s death — along with the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died in Minneapolis on May 25 after after Derek Chauvin, a white policeman, knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes — have reigniting the issue of police brutality against African Americans and Black people in the United States.
On Saturday, protesters seeking Justice for Floyd gathered at Gantry State Park in Long Island City.
The event was scheduled to begin with live music performances and speeches by our organizers and community members including Bob Battipaglia (by proxy) and Pastor Darryl Williams of The First Reformed Church of Astoria, followed by a march.
#Protestors gather at #GantryStatePark chanting #BlackLivesMattters pic.twitter.com/KSinWMva3W
— Dean_Moses (@Dean_Moses) June 6, 2020
#GantryStatePark #Protest #BlackLivesMatters #queens pic.twitter.com/OVENGcM6eq
— Dean_Moses (@Dean_Moses) June 6, 2020
#GantryStatePark #protestors demand better funding for #schools and a higher quality of #education in low income communities. #blacklivesmatterqueens pic.twitter.com/S2pjB7Y3Nj
— Dean_Moses (@Dean_Moses) June 6, 2020
Hundreds of #protesters took a knee at the #GantryStatePark #Queens #blacklivesmatter pic.twitter.com/jZqJvj3NmY
— Dean_Moses (@Dean_Moses) June 6, 2020
#Protesters took a knee as one gentleman beautifully sang #Freedom at #GantryStatePark #queens #blacklivesmatter pic.twitter.com/QRwC6duqqh
— Dean_Moses (@Dean_Moses) June 6, 2020
There was a bit of drama between the demonstrators and anti-protesters.
