Babylon Community Members Join Together In 2 Separate Protests

BABYLON, NY — Two protests in Babylon came together to march across the village in support of the Black Lives Matter movement last Sunday. The organizer of one of the events was 18-year-old Sophia Levine-Aquino who spoke about how she received support from several members of the community.

First, Levine-Aquino said while at the starting point with her friends, one of her former teachers got out of his car with his family to donate water and snacks. Then, she said two nurses came to the protest to help in case anyone needed medical assistance. The local resident's protest started on Deer Park Avenue. Members walked down the road until they reached Argyle Park.

"As we walked down the street I saw so many houses and families with signs. There were three or four houses with water and snacks along the march route," she told Patch. "When we got to the gazebo there were people waiting for us with even more water and snacks."

Levine-Aquino said she even received support from Mayor Ralph Scordino. In addition, the head of code enforcement was at the scene of the protest and was "extremely nice and helpful," according to Levine-Aquino.

"He made sure we were safe and along with the [Suffolk Police], he gave us a full escort through our march to protect us," she said of the head of code enforcement.

Once the group reached the park, Levine-Aquino said her group merged with a second protest that was happening at the same time in the village, organized by Mackenzie and Emerald Vicker, a fifth generation family in Babylon.

"We merge and stood together in unity and solidarity to show that despite have separate protest, we are all protesting for the same reasons," Levine-Aquino said. "It honestly blew me away to see not only a great attendance, but a lot of support from my community and I am very thankful for it. We had a reverend, a pastor and a county legislator attend as well. Different news channels, journalists and photographers also attended. The overall support really warmed my heart and gave me a lot of hope for the future in Babylon Village."

No arrests were reported during either of the events.

All photos courtesy of Sophia Levine-Aquino