BINGHAMTON, NY (WSKG) - Hundreds of people marched in Binghamton on Tuesday night, as part of nationwide protests over the killing of George Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis police.
The demonstration came just days after over a thousand people marched across Binghamton in a similar protest. Organizers said they plan to march again and again until there is change.
Last night's Binghamton protest began as a community speak-out, with poems and speeches, in Cheri A. Lindsey Memorial Park. Organizers handed out water and snacks, and then protesters marched downtown to the Binghamton police station. A parade of cars, honking in support, followed.
Nicole Chiguma of Binghamton came to the protest with her 12-year-old daughter. She said the ongoing “COVID-19 crisis,” which disproportionately affects communities of color, compounds the issue.
“We also know that we’ve been dealing with this crisis of injustice since we came to this country,” Chiguma said.
Tavia Fay grew up in Binghamton and said the night’s message hit home with the city’s community of color.
“We’ve all had one story that we’ve been through, we all have something that’s happened, we all have experienced in some way,” Fay said. “But we do need to change it, but we also have to have a solution to change it as a community.”