A demonstration to show solidarity following the death of George Floyd will be held at the War memorial in Bangor this Saturday, 6th June, at 1pm.

 

On 25 May, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man suspected of passing a counterfeit $20 bill, died in Minneapolis, Minnesota after Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, pressed his knee to Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes while Floyd was handcuffed face down in the street.

Two other officers further restrained Floyd while a fourth prevented onlookers from intervening. During the final three minutes Floyd was motionless and had no pulse, but officers made no attempt to revive him and Chauvin kept his knee on Floyd’s neck even as arriving emergency medical technicians attempted to treat him

After Floyd’s death, demonstrations and protests against use of excessive force by police officers and lack of police accountability were held globally. Protests in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area and additional protests developed in over 400 cities throughout all 50 American states and now internationally.

The demonstration in Bangor will in solidarity with the #BlackLivesMatter movement in the US, and across the globe.

There will be guest speeches from:

  • O’Molemo Thamae
  • Salamatu Fada
  • Sam Njokuo
  • Esther Shobowale

The protest organisers said: “Come protest with us and show support & solidarity. Bring placards if you have them, we’ll have some available otherwise. We will also be handing out PPE for those who don’t have it. Pre-drawn 9×9 grids will be drawn in chalk on the ground to enforce social distancing, these groups will then be spread out to avoid breaking the ’two household’ rule, meaning that we can all stay safe and not break the law.

Event Safety

The orginsers of the demonstartion requested that protestors travel no more than 5 miles to attend and not to attend if you are vulnerable or have any COVID-19 symptoms.

Adding: “When you arrive – if you have PPE, please proceed straight to a pre-drawn intersection on a grid. If you do NOT have PPE, please queue 2m apart, and proceed to each station to collect a mask, sanitiser, gloves and sign making materials if you want to make a sign.

“Please note that local law enforcement have been informed of this peaceful demonstration and have given their support in writing.

“Please also be aware we have a limited number of spaces in order to maintain proper social distancing. In lieu of this, once it becomes clear that we can no longer keep people safe, or that unsafe/large groups are forming, we may have to ask some attendees to support from home, or a safe distance, once we reach capacity.

“If this occurs we will be prioritising People Of Colour attendees – meaning that if you are white, or a non-black ally, you may be asked to leave to make space for others. Please be respectful of this.”

For more information about the protest, please visit the Facebook Event Page here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/s/george-floyd-solidarity-demons/637098456880784/