Stamford residents march in honor of George Floyd

Jennifer Cuevas, Associate Producer
May 31, 2020

Hundreds of Stamford, CT residents marched in honor of George Floyd, who died while being arrested this past week in Minneapolis, MN. The #JusticeforBrunch event was hosted by members of the Black Lives Matter movement. #JusticeforBrunch is an Instagram account and a hashtag that was created for protestors to use on their social media platforms when they need to tag a picture or check into the event. The purpose is to unite the community by demanding justice and protesting against police brutality in the United States.

The march began at Stamford’s Harbor Point boardwalk at 11 a.m. and ended in front of the city’s police department. There were at least 200 people at the meeting point with protest signs that read, “No Justice, No Peace” along with other messages.

Alexandria Lopez, 20 (left) and Andres Oyola, 21 (right). “I protested four years ago and I haven’t seen change,” Oyola said.

For one Stamford father, the march meant everything. Jamel Ford, 36, hopes that his kids can see a better future down the line.

Stamford resident Jamel Ford chants Black Lives Matter.

“I just want the police to understand, we have a voice and we’re going to speak. There is strength in numbers, there’s power in unity. Just look… just look around,” Ford said.

Protestors walking by the Stamford train station.

While today’s event is a step towards a better future, some protestors believe there is still a long road ahead.

Stamford resident Sheila Ramirez urged the crowd to educate themselves on racism and the messages that past civil rights leaders, such as Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, have shared.

“We need to gather wisdom from them and we need to act and speak out of that wisdom. We can’t just act out of emotion because that’s where we make mistakes,” Ramierez said.

An organizer of the event, 24-year-old Nicole Rincon of Greenwich, was very content with the outcome of the protest, but insisted this isn’t an issue that can be solved in a day.

“The response is incredible, the unity and diversity that we saw today is the same unity and diversity that we need to see in the polls this November,” Rincon said.

Stamford residents showed unity as they made their way to Columbus Park.

Rincon also added that today’s march had a huge emphasis on peace because it is important for young people to feel safe while participating in powerful social events.

“We want to influence everyone [Generation Z and Millennials] to participate in politics, to not be afraid to participate and that they do have a space to be activists within their own community and to take these roles but also vote,” Rincon said.