New Black Lives Matter Demonstrations Planned Across East End, Long Island

A demonstration in Riverhead Sunday that drew more than 100 people, carrying signs and peacefully mobilizing to bring unity after the killings of black men at the hands of law enforcement, was the catalyst for change — the organizer of the event plans to take the rallies on the road, with similar events planned across the East End and Long Island.

Organizer Vanessa Vascez-Corleone, 28, of Riverhead, said she had organized a similar demonstration to protest the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin, 17, in 2012, but that event had a turnout of only about 10 people.

After Sunday's overwhelming turnout of support, Vascez-Corleone said new demonstrations are being planned for Southampton and across the East End — and hopefully, in every town on Long Island, one per weekend. Details are still to come on when and where the rallies will be held.

The idea for Riverhead's demonstration was born last week, when Vascez-Corleone said she was on Facebook, noting all the posters commenting about what was going on in the country and speaking out about the shooting deaths of two more black men, Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, at the hands of law enforcement.

"This has happened at least eight times or more since Trayvon passed away, and everyone was speaking out about it," she said. "I said it's one thing to say something and another thing to do something."

Vascez-Corleone said she put a call out on Facebook, urging people to come together in a peaceful gathering. "I said, 'You guys are out there with your opinions. What are you going to do about it?'"

The event, which took place Sunday in Riverhead on both sides of Peconic Avenue, brought more than 100 people of all nationalities and ethnic backgrounds together in strength and unity.

Riverhead Town Supervisor Sean Walter, Vascez-Corleone said, expressed concerns that violence might erupt, especially after five police officers were shot dead and seven others wounded Thursday in Dallas during a rally to protest the killings of two black men earlier last week.

"I understand his concerns and where he's coming from, but we all decided mutually that it was urgent. Everyone was willing to take that risk, the same risks everyone is taking around the county. Everyone feels this is urgent," Vascez-Corleone said.

She added that Walter wanted the group to wait two weeks, but in the end, the group decided to move forward. "We ultimately proved him wrong, anyway. There was no violence at all," she said.

Walter did not immediately return a request for comment Monday.

The peaceful event was always meant to be a positive gathering, she said. "It was never about being violent or negative toward our Riverhead Town police. We were just coming together in unity. It's about the racism in the justice system, not police. We don't believe all police are bad."

The rally drew supporters from as far away as Philadelphia, Central Islip and across the East End, Vascez-Corleone said, adding that she was "shocked" and pleased by the overwhelming response. She was heartened to see all races coming together for change, she said. "One man, a Caucasian, told me he'd been shot with two bean bags by police four months ago," she said. "He said, 'If I was a black man, I would have been dead.'"

Unity, she said, is the goal.

"The whole purpose of this protest was about raising awareness and about getting other communities to want to stand up and do the exact same thing. And that's exactly what happened."

A voice for change

Vascez-Corleone, who by day is a project manager for a construction company and also owns a tax business and a cleaning business, said her generation needs to mobilize and have a voice for change.

"It's important for people my age and younger to start doing this," she said. "So many don't think we can do things like this. We're so used to reading about Martin Luther King and that generation doing things — and that's where it ended. So many think it can't be done in our generation, or we don't do things like that. It's important for someone my age or younger to believe that we can do it, that we can make a change."

Older people walking by on Sunday, she said, were in tears. "They were so proud that this was going on," she said.

Personally, Vascez-Corleone said the demonstration was deeply fulfilling. "It felt really good. I just wanted everyone to be heard," she said. "My goal was to get others started, and to bring everyone together, young and old. It brought a lot of awareness. It made other people want to stand up and do the same thing in other towns."

Also, she said, the rally helped to shine a light on the deeply ingrained racism that exists today, in Riverhead, across the East End and in towns across Long Island. "A lot of people asked why we were doing this and said, 'This isn't happening out here.' But once the news articles started coming out, the amount of racism and ignorance in the comments under them was unbelievable. I was shocked at the racism in our own communities. People can't believe what they are seeing."

Vascez-Corleone said she's proud to be a catalyst for change. "Everyone is ready to go forward and keep it going. I'm proud of the awareness this brought — everyone can see that racism is alive. And it's in our own backyard."