Peaceful Protest in Rochester Continued This Weekend

On Saturday, thousands of Rochestarians came together in several marches, peacefully protesting systemic racism, police brutality and discrimination.

Organizers from Black Lives Matter led similar demonstrations in cities across the nation like Philadelphia and San Francisco.

The marches in Rochester were in part a response to the tactics that the RPD used in last weeks protests that ended in violence and looting.

The march led by Free the People Roc, the organization who coordinated last weeks protest, started in the early afternoon at Dr. Martin Luther King Memorial Park. The organizers read their demands and coached followers on how they could chant effectively. They also made their demands known and handed out pamphlets with the information.

The demands included:

Dropping charges brought against people arrested on May 30 and at subsequent protests.

Defunding the police, including paying reparations to people and families impacted by police brutality and ending mass incarceration.

Removing police from the Rochester City School District, and putting funds toward student programs.

Elected officials refusing donations from police lobby groups and law enforcement PACs.

Demilitarizing the police, including ending mass surveillance, various technologies, military intervention and curfews.

Repeal 50-A, a section of the New York Civil Rights Law that makes the records of police officers, corrections officers and fire fighters confidential.

And cancelling back rent and probable evictions. Housing is a human right, the flyer said.

Saturday’s protests ended peacefully and there were no conflicts with police.

Source:

Democrat & Chronicle