Nearly three weeks since the death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minnesota, #BlackLivesMatter protests continued across Lancaster County over the weekend.
Grassroots group Lancaster Stands Up organized or promoted protests in eight Lancaster County boroughs.
The Elizabethtown Borough Police Department maintained a presence at the Elizabethtown #BlackLivesMatter: Justice for George & Breonna rally on Sunday afternoon.
The event marked the second week of protests in Elizabethtown.
“We’ve worked very closely with the organizers both last weekend and this week to make sure that everyone has a chance to have their voice heard without letting anyone come in and cause problems,” said Elizabethtown Police Chief Edward Cunningham.
Tensions had escalated the previous week over the first protest, during which armed militia members were seen standing on the roofs of the buildings housing 1 and 3 South Market Street.
Some local shop owners believed they needed protection from potential looters, according to rally organizers. This week, the rally was held in Elizabethtown Borough Park, partially to avoid any further tensions with shop owners.
“We’re not letting the craziness that came from outside affect what we’re doing in any way and it hasn’t hindered our relationship with the police department,” said Tiara Wolfe, a protest organizer and police liaison.
Around 200 protesters attended the rally. They took a knee in silence for eight minutes 46 seconds to honor George Floyd.
In Millersville, at least 500 people joined in a march from Penn Manor High School’s Comet Field to the Millersville Borough municipal building.
Some at the protest said they or their family members had experienced racial discrimination by police firsthand.
“My brother-in-law has gotten pulled over endless amount of times just because the color of his skin,” said protester Brianna Hershel, an Elizabethtown resident whose mother lives in Lancaster. “For no reason, just being harassed by the police.”
Brianna and her younger sister Carissa said they weren’t feeling any protest fatigue. In fact, they planned to keep coming out to protests every weekend as long as they could.
“You can’t make a change just by a weeklong protest,” Hershel said. “It has to be continuous change.”
Over the weekend, Lancaster Stands Up organized or promoted other #BlackLivesMatter protests in Lititz, Ephrata, Manheim, Quarryville, East Petersburg and Strasburg.