Mayor Ben Walsh was among a diverse group of hundreds of people wearing masks who marched through downtown Syracuse Thursday calling for state passage of about a dozen police reform bills. The group then gathered in Forman Park for one of eight “Let us Breathe” press conferences held across the state condemning the death of George Floyd and other African Americans at the hands of police.
Assemblymember Pam Hunter, who’s Black, organized the Syracuse gathering, with support from Mayor Walsh.
"I'm not OK. You see, I'm not OK because I'm a mom of someone that fits the description. I fit the description, as do many of the people I represent. And that description is black. The death of George Floyd was the result of inhumane police brutality by a government funded organization that has been a shelter for bigotry. Let's say it. We're going to tell the truth here today."
Jason Scharf brought his 13-year-old son.
"I respect police officers, but just want them to be held accountable. When there are the few rogue cops that really are excessively aggresive, I want that information to be better released and made more public."
Director of the Syracuse Citizen Review Board Ranette Releford told the crowd that 166 Syracuse Police officers are on the CRB's so-called repeat offenders list. The group investigates complaints of police conduct. She says 110 of those officers have received three or more complaints over nine years, and 56 have three or more complaints in last five years. Some of the officers have resigned or retired.
One person who didn't want to be identified says they were glad to see so many turn out to call for change.
"It's not just police brutality. It's white supremeacy that we're protesting. White supremacy is the virus that is killing so many people in this country today. This is not a black issue; this is a human rights issue. The more we recognize it as a human rights issue affecting specific demographics of people, the closer we are to dissolving white supremacy."
Katie Mott says she marched in Monday's protest through the south side.
"The more people that come out, we show our support in numbers as white allies, as people in general. We all need to be taking action in whatever ways we can, whether it's donating or protesting. We have the right to protest and we can do it peacefully, but we can still advocate for change locally for our police force."
Nearly all in attendance at the rally wore masks or face coverings. Masks were available for those who didn't have one, as was hand sanitizer.
