Even as the ink ran and the cardboard started to flake away in their hands, protesters outside the Topsham Police Department held their signs high in the pouring rain on Saturday to lend their voices and support to the Black Lives Matter movement, calling for an end to police brutality against people of color.
“I know it’s really just rain, but it’s like the world is crying with us,” protest organizer Jenny Thenor said.
The protest was the latest in a nationwide movement spurred by outrage over the death of George Floyd, who was killed by a police officer in Minnesota last month. Former Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes, despite Floyd’s cries that he could not breathe. The video of Floyd’s death, coupled with heightened tensions over the recent deaths of Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, among others, sparked protests calling for an end to police brutality and racism.
By the time the rain cleared in the late afternoon Saturday, a crowd of about 100 had gathered in the police department parking lot for a peaceful protest including speeches, a “die-in” in which protestors lay on the ground for nine minutes with their hands behind their backs, chants and even a sing along to “Where is the Love” by the Black Eyed Peas.
“We’re here to fight racism, fight the injustices that we’re facing,” Thenor said. “Whether you may not face it, know that your brothers and sisters around you face it.”
Thenor said that Topsham Police Department has been supportive of the movement, despite the fact that they were not present at the protest, and said she and other demonstrators would be meeting with officers soon.
Following the peaceful event in Topsham, many gathered for a second protest in Brunswick, where they met on the mall and marched to the Brunswick Police Department on Pleasant Street. This was Brunswick’s third protest in a week, with events the previous Wednesday and Sunday.
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