PHOTOS: Black Lives Matter protest on Public Square in Wilkes-Barre, 06/03/20
“We are not rebels. We are patriots and we are fighting tyrants.”
Increasing in numbers each day, the Black Lives Matter protests continued on Public Square in downtown Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday, June 3 with chants of “I can’t breathe!” and “No justice, no peace!”
At its peak, an estimated 600 people gathered to hear black voices speak, hold up signs, and lie down in the same position George Floyd was in when a white police officer knelt on his neck until he died on May 25 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Speakers included young Lakina Hughes, who cried as she addressed the crowd, asking why she has to fear leaving the house and being looked at a certain way simply for being black. The 14-year-old brought many to tears as they raised their fists and shouted “No more!”
Despite unfounded rumors online and Rite Aid boarding up its windows that day, the Wilkes-Barre demonstrations have been peaceful. This protest attracted the attention of Wilkes-Barre Mayor George Brown and Police Chief Joseph Coffay, who took a knee to show their support; police officers observed the event but kept their distance. Protests and marches in the city are expected to continue this weekend and throughout the month.
See portraits from the “Justice for George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and Tony McDade” protest in downtown Scranton last week here.
