Cornwall came together today (June 4) in a march that started in Cornwall Plaza and continued down Main Street.
Most, but not all, of the participants were students. They came with homemade signs, and were scattered around the parking lot until Trevor Kluckman got their attention. He said he had spoken to the police and assured them that the marchers weren’t looking for trouble. “Let our actions show people who we are,” he shouted to the crowd.
Then organizer Aidan O’Brien started the procession, leading the group across Quaker Avenue as motorists waited patiently. The line got longer as the marchers plodded through the business district. They chanted “black lives matter” and “I can’t breathe.”
The marchers filled the sidewalk. Portions of the street were limited to one lane, which made driving tricky. But motorists still took the time to hit their horns to show their approval.
At the lawn in front of Town Hall, the demonstrators took a knee. By this time, the crowd was several people deep and almost stretched from one end of the lawn to the other. Aidan O’Brien and Cornwall-on-Hudson Chief Steve Dixon faced the others. They lifted their right arms in tribute as Mr. O’Brien called for silence.
The quiet lasted a long time. It was so long that many people lowered their arms to rest them. The silence continued on and on until, finally, Mr. O’Brien spoke. “That was eight minutes,” he said. “That’s how long Mr. Floyd was under the officer’s knee.”
The stop at Town Hall was only a respite. The crowd got back on its feet and headed down hill to Cornwall-on-Hudson.
See our photos of the event on our Facebook page.
