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South Bend Protestors Take To The Streets Demanding Justice For George Floyd

Annacaroline Caruso/WVPE

UPDATE:

Hundreds of protestors marched to the South Bend Police Dept. headquarters Saturday night, chanting slogans like "I Can't Breathe" and "No Justice, No Peace." Many carried signs in support of Black Lives Matter. 

Credit Annacaroline Caruso / WVPE Public Radio
George Floyd Protesters stand in front of the South Bend Police Department on Sat. May 30th, 2020.

Some of the protestors say that what happened to George Floyd hits close to home. In a little over two weeks, South Bend will mark the one year anniversary of the killing of Eric Logan, a black man, by a white SBPD officer. 

“Maybe people will listen since it happened here and it’s local, it’s in your face, it’s kind of hard to ignore when it’s right there in front of you,” says one protestor, Zoe Davis-Bey.
 
The local marches and rally remained peaceful Saturday, unlike many others around the nation. 

Before protestors left the SBPD headquarters, some taped the signs of protest they carried to the front doors of the police station, in hopes of sending a message even after the demonstration was over. 

Credit Annacaroline Caruso / WVPE Public Radio
Some left their signs of protest in front of the South Bend Police Department before leaving.

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Protestors took to the streets of South Bend this weekend demanding justice for George Floyd. Floyd died after being taken into custody by Minneapolis police. In a widely seen video, a Minneapolis officer can be seen kneeling on Floyd's neck.

The South Bend Fraternal Order of Police has come out with a statement indicating outrage over the death of Floyd.  The FOP says it understands the anger and supports the right to protest the injustice. But the local FOP asks demonstrators to avoid violence and not to do anything to damage or destroy local businesses already hurting because of the pandemic. 

Early this evening, South Bend's Mayor, James Mueller, also issued a statement on the demonstrations. 

(You can read it in its entirety below.) 

 

“As demonstrations unfold across the nation and here at home against the injustice of George Floyd's death, it's important for us to remember that the right to protest and express ourselves through free speech are foundations of our democracy. I hear the anger and empathize with those who face systemic injustice. Our community is understandably in pain and in search of answers. I will continue to push for more information about the death of Eric Logan.

Frustration has compounded over time with change moving too slowly, particularly for our communities of color. Systemic change is not easy. In a democratic society like ours it requires changing hearts and minds.

We can't decide what happens in other cities, but we can come together in South Bend and make our city a fairer and more just home for us all. We can listen openly to our neighbors with different experiences and viewpoints and engage each other through the lens of our common humanity.

Reforming our public safety systems remains a top priority of my administration. To be successful, this will have to be an inclusive process. Change won't happen overnight, but I'm confident we can overcome whatever challenges we face together.”

 

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