Two Cornwall women organized June 2 peaceful gathering
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
— Dr. Seuss
The nation has been at a tipping point and the Memorial Day murder of George Floyd, at the hand of Minneapolis police, was enough to push people over the edge.
Calling for the end of systemic racism, social injustice, and police brutality, folks across the country practiced their first amendment right to protest peacefully. The Black Lives Matter movement even hit Cornwall, last week, with two mass gatherings.
The initial protest was organized by members of Progressive Cornwall, a private Facebook group.
Enid Zentelis, who moved to Cornwall last year, got the ball rolling with a post around noon last Tuesday, asking if anyone would be interested in gathering at Chadeayne Circle that evening.
“I am incredibly dismayed about the state of our country, its policing system, its justice system,” Zentelis said. “It just dawned on me a lot of people are probably feeling the same anguish, or worse, that I am.”
At first, the response was slow, but when fellow group member Amy Bandolik started tagging friends, the effort began to gain more traction and quickly reached over 100 people. By 7 p.m., an estimated 70 people had gathered on the sidewalk around the circle.
“Human beings’ lives were on the line and we felt compelled to stand on the street and express that.”
Amy Bandolik
Folks carried signs related to the Black Lives Matter movement, the Floyd incident, or the other minority men and women who died needlessly at the hands of police.
Despite the last minute plans to assemble, neither was surprised by the turnout. Just by circulation among friends, and friends of friends, Bandolik had a feeling people would show up to lend their support.
“It was surprising and not surprising,” Zentelis said. “People are home and they want to do something. This was something they could do. I think it reflects the fact times are changing. People feel it’s a long time coming. More and more people in Cornwall are reaching out to each other. The local community will play a greater role in individual lives.”
The greater Cornwall area is predominantly a white community, in fact, according to the 2010 Census, 92 percent of those living in the town or village are white. Zentelis said it’s that much more important that a community like Cornwall join the movement.
“We are exactly the kind of town which needs to stand up,” she said. “People, white folks all over, need to stand up and say they too disagree with policing violence all over, wherever it exists. It’s everyone’s problem. What does it look like to our kids to see something wrong, seeing someone do something wrong to another human being, and we do nothing. The lesson is — it must be okay. This is far from being okay. It’s really important people stand up everywhere. It wasn’t a big demonstration, but it makes it even more important to stand up to show we care — we won’t stand by and be apathetic.”
For the most part, the protest remained peaceful. Many motorists drove by honking their horns in support. Only one gentleman walked by and made a comment about the looting and destruction in other cities. There was a brief exchange between the man and one of the protestors, but it was over as quickly as it started.
The hope is the protest will not only bring awareness of the issues to more people, but spark an effort in the school district to educate children about what’s going on in the world, said Bandolik. This way they can become part of the conversation and think more about their own actions.
