Protestors make their voices heard in Ormond Beach

The peaceful protestors held up signs and walked the Granada bridge.

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About 25 people gathered at the Granada bridge in Ormond Beach on Wednesday, June 3, to protest against police brutality toward the African American community, joining hundreds of protests across the U.S. following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. 

The group held up signs reading "Black Lives Matter," "Stop killing us" and "Silence = Betrayal" as they chanted, "No justice, no peace," a unifying phrase repeated during this protesting movement. The protestors, joined by a handful of Ormond Beach Police officers, walked the Granada bridge with their signs on display. 

For protest organizer Derek Schultz, it was important their protest be peaceful. As an African American man, he has experienced both oppression and racism, he said. As a father, he wants a better future for his children. It's about unity, he said.

“Nothing more, nothing less," Schultz said. "We have to understand that we can’t do nothing alone. That’s the problem. We’re separated and we need to come together.”

Ormond Beach Police Chief Jesse Godfrey, who was at the protest as well, said they reached out to Schultz on Facebook after they heard he was holding a protest. Godfrey said they told Schultz they "had his back," and that they were going to be present to protect the protestors, and keep an eye out for counter protestors. 

Many of the passing cars honked their horns. Some motorists held their fists in the air as they drove by. Only a few cars slowed down to yell things like "misinformation," and "Trump" at the protestors. 

Godfrey, who has been in law enforcement for about 32 years, said the Floyd murder made him sick to his stomach. He repeated something he recently heard on the news: That people should be focusing on what led up to the protests. 

As a department, they have to continue to strive for transparency. 

“We’ve been working on it, but we’ve got to do better," Godfrey said. "We’ve got to do better on the law enforcement side. We’ve got to do better on the criminal justice side, because it’s not just the police. It’s the court system and the inequities that are being talked about. It needs to be looked at.”

When people say "all lives matter" in response to the Black Lives Matter movement, Schultz said it is nothing but a counter protest. He hopes peaceful protests will give a different perspective to those that oppose them. 

“When we say black lives matter, we’re not saying only black lives matter," Schultz said. "We’re saying black lives matter too. All lives can’t matter until you all stop killing us. I mean, it’s that simple.”

 

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