A demonstrator holds a Black Lives Matter sign during a solidarity rally at Memorial Park in Lansdale on June 7.
As demonstrations and protests continue across the United States in the wake of the death of 46-year-old George Floyd, two additional local events have been announced for next week.
On June 19, also known as “Juneteenth” or Freedom Day, a solidarity march will be held by members of the Ambler NAACP. The march, lead by chapter president Shaykh Anwar Muhammad, will begin at Lansdale Borough Hall — located at 1 Vine Street — at 5 p.m., and make its way down West Main Street before circling back to borough hall for a series of speeches.
“This is not a protest; this is an opportunity for the community to come together and to make [everyone] aware that our government, police department and The Ambler NAACP are here,” reads the details of the event. “[We’re] ensuring that we will work tirelessly to show and prove that racism does not have a place in our community.”
The event is scheduled to conclude by 6:30 p.m. For more information, click here for the event page on Facebook.
The following day, the long-rumored June 20 solidarity protest will be held at Whites Road Park from noon to 3 p.m. The demonstration is being lead by North Penn High School Class of 2020 graduate Melanie Hartnett, with assistance and support from the organizers of the June 2 demonstration on West Main Street and June 7 rally at Memorial Park.
For information and details for the June 20 rally at Whites Road Park, click here.
When reached for comment, Lansdale Borough Police Chief Michael Trail confirmed that both events were scheduled to occur, and the organizers of each event had been in contact with police regarding planning for the demonstrations.
Prior to the first rally, Trail said that protesters would have an ally in the Lansdale Borough Police Department, so long as things remained peaceful. Trail was one of the first police chiefs in Montgomery County to speak out and condemn the killing of Floyd, who died on Memorial Day as a result of Minneapolis Police officer David Chauvin kneeling on his neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds.
During the first demonstration on June 2, Trail and his staff engaged demonstrators throughout the event, and participated by taking a knee side-by-side with the protesters. Trail has since issued statements in support of the demonstrators and their mission, and said he wants to work with them to help fight back against systemic racism and find solutions to the problem of racial inequality.
See also:
Demonstrations Against Racial Injustice Held In Lansdale, North Wales And Abington-Lansdale Hospital
Peaceful Rally Draws More Than 1,000 Demonstrators to Souderton
Lansdale Police Chief Reflects On Recent Protest, Says Demonstrators Should Be Praised
Hundreds Attend Peaceful Rally In Support Of George Floyd In Lansdale, Police Show Their Support
Lansdale Police Chief: ‘It’s Time To End Idle Talk And Move Towards Solutions’
