Peaceful protests continued in Kosciusko over the past week, with groups holding signs on Highway 12 some days, a unity gathering on the courthouse lawn on Saturday evening, and a protest march leading to Northside Park for a community gathering — entitled “End Racism: The Cookout” — Sunday afternoon.
The local protests, like those in larger cities across the country, began following the death of George Floyd, 46, at the hands of Minneapolis, MN, law enforcement on May 25. All four officers involved have now been charged in Floyd’s death, which followed one police officer pressing his knee into the back of Floyd’s neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds as he lay face-down in the street. Three other officers either helped hold the man down or looked on. Despite pending charges, national protests have continued, calling for the end of systemic racism and the reform of the criminal justice system.
While protests elsewhere have been marred by violence and looting, local events have remained peaceful.
