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Protesters calling for policing reform march from Cunningham Park to Queens Borough Hall

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Photos by Dean Moses

BY ZACHARY GEWELB AND JACOB KAYE

Demonstrators took to the streets in Fresh Meadows to rally for policing reforms proposed by the New York State Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus in the wake of George Floyd’s death.

Floyd, 46, died in Minneapolis on May 25 after after Derek Chauvin, a white policeman, knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes, reigniting the issue of police brutality against African Americans and Black people in the United States.

In Queens, protests have remained relatively peaceful, but not without incident.

Peaceful protests calling for justice for George Floyd in Whitestone were met with racist and menacing attacks from anti-protesters earlier this week.

However, protests in Hollis, Jackson Heights and Astoria, as well as a vigil held at Queensbridge Park have gone off without escalation from police and demonstrators, compared to the rest of the city.

Protesters started to gather around 12:45 p.m. Thursday at Cunningham Park — located at 196th Street and Union Turnpike — to make signs in the parking lot before the official 1 p.m. start time.

The rally made its way to Borough Hall by 3 p.m., right on schedule. Several city and state legislators, including state Senator John Liu, Assemblywoman Alicia Hyndman, City Councilman Donovan Richards, Congresswoman Grace Meng, state Senator Jessica Ramos and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams — among others — joined the rally.

A separate rally, organized by high school students, according to City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, began in Sunnyside early Thursday afternoon.

Photo by Tammy Blythe Goodman (@gooblythe)
Photo by Tammy Blythe Goodman (@gooblythe)
Photo by Tammy Blythe Goodman (@gooblythe)

With reporting from Dean Moses and Angélica Acevedo.