800 Gather For Protest In New Lenox: Photos, Videos

NEW LENOX, IL — An estimated 800 to 1,000 people gathered Thursday in the New Lenox Commons for a protest in the wake of George Floyd's death. Event organizers began the protest with several speeches, followed by 8 minutes and 46 seconds of silence — the amount of time a Minneapolis police officer was seen kneeling on Floyd's neck in a video shot before his death — and then marched around the New Lenox Commons eight times.

The protest was organized by New Lenox resident and recent Lincoln-Way Central graduate Johanna Taylor, who said she was grateful for New Lenox Mayor Tim Baldermann and the police's support.

Taylor's mother Terra Dawn began the protest, followed by speeches from Taylor, Lincoln-Way Central senior Alex Reese and recent Homewood-Flossmoor High School graduate Taylor Harvey.

Clips from Reese and Harvey's speeches can be found below:

New Lenox Police Chief April DiSandro, who was present at the protest, told Patch the event was peaceful and that it "was a good day."

Baldermann spoke to the crowd at the end of the protest and said, "This is a great community in New Lenox, and you're all welcome here."

"I couldn't be more proud to be mayor today for the way that you walked around peacefully, I'm very proud of the people who put this together and each and every one of you, because you showed those out there that doubted that your voices could be heard peacefully. You showed them differently," he said.

Taylor had the idea for the protest in New Lenox after she and some friends held signs in the New Lenox Commons and received some support, but also a lot of backlash.

The group had been planning to go to protests in Chicago, but turned around after they heard reports of violence in the city.

"We were very disappointed, and we felt like we needed to say something," Taylor said, adding that after the small group received backlash for holding signs, she decided she wanted to hold an event in New Lenox.

"This is why I'm doing this here," Taylor told Patch before the event. "To ignore what is happening is not OK, we can be allies peacefully and lovingly."

She said she also wants African Americans who live in New Lenox to feel like their voices are heard, and that there are people who support them.

"I really do think that what we're doing here in New Lenox could have a much bigger impact than just in our town," Taylor said.

Patch spoke to Taylor after the protest, and she thanked everyone for the support and for those who joined the protest.

"My number one priority was people's safety and I believe the cops protected us and were there for us and protesters kept the peace as well," Taylor said. "I also think that people really listened to my friends and I about what we had to say. We need these discussions and today the people of New Lenox listened. What we did wasn’t just for today it’s for tomorrow and the future."