Photos, Videos From Sunday's Peaceful BLM Protest In Groton

GROTON, CT — Exercising their First Amendment right to peacefully demonstrate, nearly 1,000 people took to the streets in solidarity with Black Lives Matter Sunday.

The protest march took demonstrators young and old three miles down Route 1.

Town of Groton Police thanked "the young leaders who organized yesterday’s peaceful protest, and to everyone in attendance who helped keep this a peaceful, positive and safe event. We are proud to be part of the Groton community."

Last week, Groton Police Chief Fusaro issues a statement about the killing of George Floyd: "a reckless and criminal act."

"Like you, the women and men of the Groton Police Department found the video of George Floyd’s death both disturbing and infuriating. It goes against the oath we swore to uphold, defies human decency and it is in direct contrast to our core values of courage, compassion and integrity.," he wrote.

"Like you, we were sickened by this reckless and criminal act. We know all too well that this tragedy undermines the good and noble work of law enforcement professionals across the country, and casts a pall over our entire profession. However, we remain committed to fair, impartial and compassionate policing of the Town of Groton. We have heard the cries of peaceful protesters who have raised legitimate concerns and we share their feelings of police accountability and transparency.

We know that there is no place in our profession for what happened in Minneapolis. It is our duty to not remain silent when we see abuse or injustice and we believe as law enforcement officers that there is a sacred trust that society has placed in us. If there is a bad actor among our ranks, we have a duty to cut out that disease and eradicate it from our profession.

We believe in establishing a culture of integrity, trust and transparency. We will maintain high ethical and moral standards. We believe in treating people with dignity and respect. We recognize that our community is diverse and we shall carry out our duties honoring and embracing that diversity. This is the true essence of community.

We promise to uphold that public trust and to always have the courage to hold ourselves, and others, accountable for our actions," Fusaro wrote.

The protest was organized by Fitch High School student Nanayaa Ali. She told The Day that instead of social media commentary only, she chose to organize.

From the event page:

"We will be protesting in regard to the recent murder of George Floyd and many other murders of innocent black people of color. Please come to show your support. Let’s make our voices heard. Let’s make an impact. Make sure to wear a mask. Refreshments will be supplied by those who donated such. If you can make any donations (water), that would be great! Make as many signs as you can! Help us be heard! Reminder, this is a peaceful protest! We will be having serious conversations and asking real questions that need to be asked. At the end of our march we will have a few selected people read poetry or anything that they wrote in regard to this matter. Let’s use our voices and if you don’t necessarily understand the topic entirely, still come, still join us, let us educate you, let’s have a serious conversation."

One of the organizers took to Facebook to note that Sunday's Black Lives Matter march is the beginning, not the end.