LANCASTER, Pa. — Thousands of demonstrators—in cars and on foot—took over Downtown Lancaster for a second day of protests for justice. The otherwise non-violent protest turned chaotic when police pepper-sprayed demonstrators who got close to police lines.
Kat Patterson, of Lancaster, found herself caught in the middle as she rushed over to help a man on his bicycle get out of the street.
“Everyone was trying to help him and he couldn’t see. He was stuck on the road. The officers sprayed us more, saying we need to get off of the street,” said Patterson.
She reaches for a gallon of milk to wash out the pepper spray and adds, “We just have to remember that it’s way bigger than us and that change needs to happen. That’s why we’re here.”
Demonstrators gathered at the intersection of W. Chestnut Street and N. Prince Street, expressing anger and heartbreak over the death of George Floyd. Hundreds of cars drove through the area honking their horns and waving signs that demand an end to racial policing.
“We’re all in this community together. Putting on that uniform is supposed to be a sacrifice on their part, not on the communities’,” another demonstrator said.
People later marched on the steps of the Lancaster Police Department, where Mayor Danene Sorace told demonstrators she stands with them. Because the coronavirus pandemic remains their backdrop, Mayor Soarce hoped people would protest peacefully and safely.
Protests have spread in dozens of cities across the country—a collective outcry in the continued fight for racial justice and equality.
Several police departments responded to the protest in Lancaster, including West Lampeter Township Police, Strasburg Borough Police, Pequea Township Police, East Hempfield Township Police, Manor Township Police and Pennsylvania State Police.
Some demonstrators urged officers to put down their riot gear and join them.
“Look at them, they have riot gear! We’re just standing here. We’re not doing anything. They don’t care about us,” expressed Charles Baynard of Lancaster. “If they cared about us, they’d be standing here with us.”