'My Life Matters:' Peaceful Protest, March In Parsippany

PARSIPPANY, NJ - They chanted, they marched they wore masks and remained peaceful as more than 500 showed up at Parsippany High School to participate in a protest in honor of George Floyd Tuesday evening.

Floyd, 46, died Memorial Day after being handcuffed and pinned to the ground by Minneapolis Police Department officer Derek Chauvin, who pressed his knee on his neck for several minutes while three other officers looked on. Video footage of the arrest, in which Floyd is heard saying "I can't breathe," spread widely online, and all four officers were fired. Chauvin was charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter on Friday. Those charges were upgraded Wednesday.

The group gathered at Parsippany High School where the march was permitted and the Parsippany Police Department closed roads and helped provide security. One participant, Stephanie Montoya of Randolph, said that the group assembled was diverse.

"There was such a diverse group of people. Young, old, white, black, Hispanic, Asian, everyone was there to support our brothers and sisters of color," she told Patch. "The unity that everyone showed was amazing."

Denville's Kristan Van Der Meer echoed those sentiments.

"I was satisfied to see young and old, multiple ethnicities, and even a couple of nuns," she said. "The police might have been blocking the cross roads for a holiday parade. All were chill."

The mile-long route to Veterans Park went past some older apartment complexes and larger, more expansive homes representing a mix of socioeconomic residents.

"People stood outside in their yards or watched from windows. They videoed. They joined in the chanting. They waved. Some just watched. Some neighbors had tables set up and were handing out bottled water," Van Der Meer said. "As the marchers chanted -- myself included -- I knew that this action was more important than the words I'd be struggling to find. When we reached the park, and all sat on the grass, I'd hear words that were more important than anything I could say."

Montoya said the moving words from all the speakers at the end of the march was a great culmination to the whole event.

Video courtesy of Stephanie Montoya

"One speaker really got to me when she was giving us personal experiences of racism and chanting 'MY LIFE MATTERS,'" she said. "And I thought to myself 'of course it does!' It baffled me to think anyone would think otherwise."

Van Der Meer said the speaker that touched her the most spoke about growing up here in a diverse suburb with Blacks, Whites, Hispanics, Muslims, and Indians. He spoke about how different it was being a black kid here versus being a black man in America. He talked about how we all need to do more than just not be racist, but rather embrace diversity. He talked about his best friend, who is white, saying that in having a black friend, the recent actions against blacks "hit home."

"He said that when it hits home, it's too late. We all need to do something now. He talked about taking a Women's Studies class in college, to meet girls, and how he embraced feminism then as he learned about it, but chided himself for not doing anything recently," Van Der Meer said. "He challenged all the white/non-black supporters in the crowd to be sure they don't just show up for one protest, one rally, one moment of crisis, but rather make your actions frequent. 'What do you do to check in on your fellow Americans?" Don't shy away from the difficult discussions with you black friends or with your parents. Don't turn away when you see something wrong and don't stay silent. Use your white privilege to speak up, to record if necessary, and to make a difference."

Montoya said that initially she had reservations about attending the protest but is glad she went.

"I was a little scared at first because I've been watching a lot of the news and all you see police in riot gear becoming overly physical with peaceful protesters, especially after the shameful stunt Trump pulled yesterday with the peaceful protesters just so he could have a photo op in front of a church," she said. "But I realized that this is important."

Montoya said that those in the black community don't get to just sit back and say "some one else will do it."

Van Der Meer said that she hopes who don't have to deal with the challenges of racism, prejudice, and bias will continue to make an effort to be part of the solution.

Thanks for reading! Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Have a news tip you'd like to share? Or maybe you have a press release you would like to submit or a correction you'd like to request? Send an email to russ.crespolini@patch.com

Subscribe to your local Patch newsletter. You can also have them delivered to your phone screen by downloading, or by visiting the Google Play store.