Weekend Wayne Protest Starts, Ends Peacefully

WAYNE, NJ — Wayne demonstrators gathered at the municipal building before marching through the streets of the township in protest of the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.

The protest, organized by Lydiene Ajebe, Hayley Budnick, Marisa Budnick, Caroline Clarke, Jayda Lindsey and Timothy Thompson, served as another example of the state's mainly peaceful protests.

In addition to the march, multiple demonstrators took to the microphone, some to speak out, some to perform. As one organizer spoke, people took a knee in honor of Floyd.

Floyd, a 46-year old Minneapolis man, died on May 25 with the knee of a white police officer on his neck. Former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin, who was captured on video kneeling on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes, was initially charged with third-degree murder. That charge has since elevated to a second-degree murder.

The other three officers present at the time of Floyd's death — Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane, and Tou Thao — have been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, according to court records.

An independent autopsy revealed Floyd's cause of death to be asphyxia due to sustained forceful pressure. Dr. Michael Baden and Dr. Allecia Wilson, who performed the autopsy, ruled his death a homicide.

Breonna Taylor, a black Louisville EMT, was killed by police in her home on March 13 while officers were carrying-out a no knock warrant.

Taylor was not being investigated by Louisville police, and, according to the Washington Post, main suspect Jamarcus Glover and his accomplices had already been arrested when the warrant was served.

On Friday, Breonna Taylor would have turned 27.

Those who attended the protest in Wayne took to social media to share photos and videos of the day. One Twitter user estimated there were roughly 1,000 people who gathered on Saturday.

Kyla Gallipoli uploaded a compilation of moments from the Saturday protest, including parts of speeches and clips from the march.

Some voiced surprise that a rally or protest would be held in Wayne. The township, according to the latest census estimates, is nearly 90 percent white.