By Pat Biancaniello
It began with an online flyer inviting people outside of Smithtown to participate in a Black Lives Matter (BLM) protest that would take place on Sunday, June 7 in Smithtown. The flyer, according to people who know the person who posted it online, was an attempt to raise awareness of the issues and injustices people of color deal with on a daily basis.
;)
The flyer was meant to connect with the anger minorities feel and to capitalize on the outrage expressed by protests around the nation since the killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers. To many Smithtown residents who saw the flyer and the message attached to its social media posting it was a call to repeat the worst of the BLM protests. They envisioned a protest that would include looting and the destruction of anything within reach of the protesters.
The stage was set.
Rumors about the intent of the protesters were rampant on social media and it seems that everyone had a reliable source confirming the BLM plans for the destruction of Smithtown. 23-year-old Dylan Rice, a Smithtown resident and a Democrat running for NYS Assembly, saw the social media posting and worked to locate its source and to better understand what was happening. He reached out to Caitlin, the event coordinator, and worked to bring a peaceful rally/march to Smithtown. Dylon believed a peaceful rally would reflect his and other residents’ support for the BLM movement which promotes equality and respect for life.
;)
photo by Dylan RiceThe protest, scheduled for 2 pm was changed to 4pm but crowds started gathering at 2pm. It began with a rally at Stop And Shop located on W. Main Street. When asked by a speaker, “Who here is from Smithtown?” around half of the attendees raised their hands. The crowd grew from 150 people at 2 pm to approximately 750 at 4:30. Amazingly, almost every attendee wore a face mask although social distancing was not practiced. The rally at Stop And Shop included protest chants “Say their names”, “I can’t breathe”* etc. and ended with the protesters kneeling for eight minutes and 46 seconds, the time the Minneapolis police officer held his knee on George Floyd’s neck causing him to die. Protesters then began their march down towards Town Hall.
At this point the road was closed as marchers filled the streets. Marchers chanted, “I can’t breathe”* and other chants, they were loud. When they reached the area near Katie’s on Main Street they encountered a small but also loud group of people with flags, a huge military style truck and at least one large Trump banner. The anti- BLM protesters (without masks) had positioned themselves to be visible, vocal and disruptive. The anti-BLM appears to have been comprised of mostly non-Smithtown people.
The scene became somewhat disruptive as disgusting insults, some racial some sexual were exchanged.
;)
The march continued down Main Street turned around at Terry Road some participants continued to march to the statue of Whisper the Bull at the intersection of 25A and Rte. 25. SCPD officers were successful in keeping the marchers on the designated path and Smithtown’s Public Safety officers were effective in ensuring that there were no incidents involving damage to public property.
Smithtown’s Chief of Public Safety, Thomas Lohmann, in a phone interview expressed his satisfaction in a matter of fact manner, saying he was extremely pleased with the event and the way the SCPD, Fire Department and the Department of Public Safety coordinated their actions ensuring that people expressing their constitutional right to freedom of speech was protected.
Many Smithtown residents have reached out to Smithtown Matters expressing support for the event. Some showed support by attending and marching others expressed frustration that the flyer made them fearful of participating. Many people are still isolated in their homes due to COVID-19 and could not participate. There seems to be unanimity in the belief that George Floyd’s death by police is unacceptable and must not be tolerated.
At Monday’s press conference County Executive Bellone announced an investigation into an incident involving a protestor and an anti-BLM protestor. The incident is being investigated by Fourth Precinct Crime Section, Fourth Squad and Hate Crimes.
*Spell check correction.
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