Peaceful Black Lives Matter Vigil Set For Darien June 19

DARIEN, CT — A vigil supporting Black Lives Matter is scheduled for Friday evening, June 19, in Darien, marking the third Black Lives Matter event in town in recent weeks.

Friday's vigil will be held at 8 p.m. at Tilley Pond Park on the corner of Lakeside and West avenues in Darien, and organizers urge attendees to adhere to social distancing requirements, such as wearing face masks and standing 6 feet apart.

"Join us in honoring the Black lives lost this year," wrote the three teenagers who organized the event, Kate Dempsey, Tammy Nguyen and Dashell Scura, on Instagram.

Attendees also are urged to bring their own candles and flowers to the Friday's event.

The Friday night vigil will be the third Black Lives Matter event held in Darien over the past 30 days, following events held on May 31 and June 7, according to the Darien Times.

Protests supporting Black Lives Matter have sprung up around the country following public outrage over the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Breonna Taylor two months before in Louisville, Kentucky.

Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, died during an arrest, in which a White police officer, Derek Chauvin, held his knee on Floyd's neck while Floyd was handcuffed and on the ground. Floyd could be heard on video saying that he couldn't breathe, and people at the scene could be heard begging the officer to get off of him.

Chauvin and three other officers are facing charges in connection with the incident.

Taylor, a Black 26-year-old emergency first responder, died after she was shot by police officers while she was sleeping in her home. Police had entered the home utilizing a no-knock warrant, but the suspect they were looking for was not at that home. Taylor's boyfriend, believing thieves had broken into the home, traded gunfire with the officers.

None of the police officers in the botched raid have been charged.