Lauren Doherty, Editor-in-Chief
On Thursday, June 4th, the New Canaan streets were filled with protestors of all ages, genders, ethnicities, and occupations supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. The protest welcomed all students, parents, clergy, and police officers. The march began at Saxe Middle School and made its way down to the Police Station where speeches were made. The march then continued along Main Street to return to Saxe Middle School.
On Monday, May 25th, a 46-year old black man, George Floyd, was killed while unarmed by a white police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The incident gained national attention across various news outlets and has been a driving force behind the protests. Floyd was not the first black man to be innocently murdered by a white police officer, however many hope that he will be the last.
The protests have led many to point fingers at police officers and claim that they are racist and act above the law. However, Ms. Fatou Niang, who organized the New Canaan BLM march, said that the assumption that all police are bad is incorrect. “We are lucky to live in a community where the police are being fantastic,” said Ms. Niang. “But they are still sensitive to the case, so that is why we took pleasure in marching with them today along with the clergy.”
The New Canaan Police Department helped to organize the march alongside the Niang Family. Chief of Police Leon Krolikowski attended the protest with many fellow officers. “We don’t support police brutality and we don’t support racism,” he said. “We’re in mind with everybody here; we want things to change in the rest of the nation.”
Police Officer Jeffrey Deak was also present at the protest. “There hasn’t been one police officer that I spoke with who didn’t agree that this was disgusting,” said Officer Deak regarding the George Floyd incident.
Despite the many accusations currently against police officers, Officer Deak said he is still proud to be doing his job. “I’m not ashamed of the police officer I am, and I’m certainly not ashamed of any of the police officers that I work with,” he said. “It’s difficult because some people categorize us all as the same, and that’s just not fair.”
Chief Krolikowski said he is proud of the New Canaan community for coming together to support such an important cause. “A lot of people, unfortunately, think New Canaan is like everywhere else, and it isn’t,” he said. “We’re very lucky in that regard to be able to express our freedom of speech today and for everybody coming together.”
Police Officer Rex Sprosta was amazed by the estimated 1,000 people that attended the protest. “It shows you how important this is,” he said. “I’m very proud to be a police officer during this time because we were able to get away without any violence.”
For the New Canaan police, their main concern is the safety of the community. The protest was successful in those terms: peaceful, safe, and hopefully, effective. The Police Department stands with the rest of the country as they fight for equal rights and opportunities for the black community. “It’s what our country was founded on,” said Chief Krolikowski. “If people aren’t happy with something, they get together, they protest, and they try to make a change.”
