Juneteenth Protesters Shut Down 2 Major Somerset County Highways

SOMERVILLE, NJ — It was a movement that literally stopped society in its tracks with the shut downs of two major highways in Somerset County on Friday.

Dameon M. Stackhouse of the Hobbstown section of Bridgewater organized the Juneteenth protest after his son said he had a dream that two cops shot him.

"I just had to do something," Stackhouse said. "As a parent you always want to do everything you can to protect our kids."

The protest began at the Somerset County Courthouse at 3 p.m. with speakers and chanting of "Black Lives Matter," "George Floyd," "I can't breathe," and more. Many cars passing by Main Street honked in support.

A man on a bike almost started a fight when he got into an argument with a protester for disagreeing with their cause. The man ended up riding away.

The group of protesters then split into two groups. One walked up North Bridge Street towards Route 22 East in Bridgewater and the other half walked down South Bridge Street to Route 206 in Hillsborough.

Bridgewater and Hillsborough Police shut down both highways for about 20 minutes to allow protesters to kneel on the highway for 8 minutes and 46 seconds representing the death of George Floyd, 46, after then Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes. Video, which captured Floyd saying "I can't breathe," went viral, and sparked the nationwide protests.

"We are closing Route 22 east for the safety of all. Once the group gets to the YMCA in Somerville we will begin our road closure. Since we do not have an exact time we will send out Nixle alerts to keep everyone advised," Bridgewater Police Lt. John Mitzak said previously.

Hillsborough Police also sent out an alert that they will be closing Route 206 North at S. Bridge Street temporarily. Northbound traffic was diverted to Dukes Parkway East.

As the protesters knelt down in silence cars passing by on Route 22 East could be heard screaming profanities at them.

The protest then walked back to the courthouse to continue with speeches.

Juneteenth, which is short for June 19th, is a 155-year-old commemoration that celebrates the emancipation of African Americans from slavery in the United States. Read More: What Is Juneteenth? (5 Things To Know About The Holiday)

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