Simultaneous Rallies Scheduled To Be Held In Bethpage

BETHPAGE, NY — Two rallies are scheduled for the same time, same place. A solidarity rally meant to encourage finding solutions to bridging the gap between the black community and law enforcement will coincide with a rally for police and first responders 10 a.m. Saturday at the Bethpage Train Station.

The Solidarity Rally is co-organized by Nicole Nirenberg and Christina Lemyre, and their flyer lists three points:

1. "We are joining together to share information on what we can do to help & to share information on how to keep law enforcement accountability."
2. "This is to show unity amongst good humans."
3. "This is not an anti-cop event."

"Our message is peace, and the hope is change," Nirenberg told Patch. "Both [Lemyre and I] have law enforcement agents very close to them in their families. We also have members of the black community very close to us. So we were trying to find a way to keep politics out of it, and keep police bashing out of it. We're really focused on the solution: What can we do to help both the law enforcement community and the black community?"

The solidarity event will not be the place for people looking to bash police, Nirenberg said.

Another rally is also scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday in the Bethpage Train Station parking lot: Support Our Police and First Responders Rally.

The State of Long Island, a Facebook page, wrote that it is supporting the rally, though it didn't organize it.

"Here at The State of Long Island, we do not condone the actions taken by [former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin] and we do support peoples right to protest," the page wrote. "But we do not condone looting stores damaging property and hurting other people. We have noticed there are a lot of Black Lives Matter and other protests all over our island. And like we said we support the right to do so. But what we haven’t seen is love being given to the Police and other first responders who have done the right thing."

The rally is intended to be peaceful, the page wrote.

"We are not against BLM," the page told Patch. "We actually welcome them to join us to support the first responders who help us every day and do the right thing. With all the tension recently we want to remind them we still care about them."

The Solidarity Rally was planned first, Nirenberg said, adding that members of the other rally are invited to join them. There are multiple parking lots, she said, so the rallies can be held separately if need be.

"My plan is to say, 'Hey, we'll stay here. Why don't you guys go over in that parking lot?,'" she said. "If they say, 'No,' I'll say, 'OK, no problem, I'll go over to that parking lot.'"

Nirenberg and Lemyre will hand out information for websites that have details on certain legislative acts that could be passed, as well as how to sign certain petitions. They'll also provide email addresses for both Nassau and Suffolk police departments so people can ask them if all officers are outfitted with active body cameras. If not, Nirenberg wants to know what can be done to ensure officers have one to wear.

"Body cameras help police and help civilians, theoretically," she said. "But there's no question that if a cop comes under fire, then it's 'No problem, let's review the footage.'"

Voter registration forms will also be handed out, though volunteers are mandated to keep their political beliefs out of it when passing out forms.

"I have love and peace in my heart," Nirenberg said. "Call it naive, but I really do feel that we can make a change this way."

The Solidarity Rally is slated to run until noon.

Protests and rallies have been ignited throughout the country following the death of George Floyd. Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was accused in the May 25 death of Floyd and faces a second-degree murder charge, said Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison's office. Three other former officers involved in Floyd's arrest were criminally charged Wednesday.