Hoboken Protest For George Floyd: PHOTOS

HOBOKEN, NJ — More than a thousand protestors brought signs and megaphones to a rally in Hoboken Friday afternoon to promote racial equality and protest the death of George Floyd. A group called Allies 4 Justice planned the event, which began on the waterfront near Maxwell Place Park uptown and proceeded south along the river to Pier A Park near the train terminal.

The protest was planned in the wake of the death of Floyd in Minneapolis on Memorial Day. Four Minneapolis police officers have been charged criminally in connection with Floyd's death, and protests have taken place around the country.

Hoboken is a mile-square city of 53,000 people, across the river from New York City.

At the protest, some signs condemned the police and police brutality, others promoted racial equality, and one referred to Floyd's dying words at the hands of police, when he called out for his deceased mother. (See photos above.)

Allies 4 Justice said on Instagram that the protest would be peaceful.

On social media, attendees had various reactions. One man posted video of police officers taking a knee. Some praised the large turnout, which occurred even with storm clouds threatening. Others warily noted police on the roof.

And some pointed out that Mayor Ravi Bhalla appeared at the rally after continually admonishing Hoboken residents to observe social distancing and avoid groups. (More on that here.)

As the rally stepped off Friday, businesses on busy Washington Street were still boarding up their windows, as violence had plagued some protest spots across the river in New York City last weekend.

Bhalla and Police Chief Ken Ferrante had expressed concerns Monday night about the protest, worrying that people might not socially distance amid the spread of coronavirus, and that some might join with bad intentions. On Wednesday, Ferrante weighed in with a new statement, condemning both the killing of Floyd by Minneapolis police officers and that city's response to the protests afterward. He said New Jersey and Hoboken would do better.

Watch Patch for updates. If you have photos from the rally, email caren.lissner@patch.com and we may be able to use them in a story.

Here are other recent Hoboken protest updates:

• Mayor Ravi Bhalla released a statement about the protest on Saturday (read more and see more photos here).
• Bhalla signed former Pres. Barack Obama's pledge on the use of police force on Friday morning.
• A local bar/restaurant owner apologized Thursday for posts on the business's Instagram page about Black Lives Matter.

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