Michel’le Sanders, an organizer from the Valley, speaks to the crowd.
DERBY-SHELTON — Roughly 450 Derby and Shelton residents — and the Shelton chief of police — marched for racial equality and an end to police brutality Saturday. The event started at city halls in Derby and Shelton, and ended in a rally on the Derby-Shelton bridge.
Saturday’s march and rally was the latest in a string of protests happening all over the U.S. There have been at least six such events in Ansonia, Derby and Shelton since George Floyd died after a Minneapolis police officer leaned his knee into the back of Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes as Floyd begged him to stop. The Memorial Day killing, which was captured on camera by citizens, was ruled a homicide.
Saturday’s “Valley Peace Protest at the Bridge” organizers Michel’le and Breon Sanders (both from Shelton) teamed up with Maya Donald and Gabriela Koc (both from Shelton) after meeting at last Sunday’s protest on Huntington Green in Shelton.
People chanted “black lives matter,” “I can’t breathe,” “hands up, don’t shoot,” as they walked from each city’s government building to the bridge. Police officers in Derby and Shelton, who were consulted in advance, closed the bridge to vehicles so the residents could safely demonstrate.
Calls for unity continued as the two sides met on the Shelton side of the bridge.
“I need people to understand we’re not saying cops are terrible people,” Donald said. “We are saying the ones that are bad (police who) need to be policed. And not just policed by the community but by their fellow officers. We want our officers to stand with us because it makes it easier for us to stand with them when people are trying to bash them.”
The demonstration was far from “anti-police.” Four Shelton police officers who marched with the people were cheered. Shelton Police Chief Shawn Sequeira raised a first in solidarity, then addressed the crowd on the bridge.
“We’re not here to bash the police, but we’re here to hold the police accountable,” the chief said.
Sequeira said that within every police department, “there’s a 5 percent that have to be policed to maintain order.”
“There is ignorance everywhere, in every situation, in every office, in every organization,” he said. “Our focus here right now, is what a lot of police officers might not want to say, especially in my capacity. I want you all to remember what this police chief here today: black lives matter.”
The names of people who have died at the hands of police officers were read aloud. People shared personal stories of racism in the lower Valley. The marchers and police took a knee to remember George Floyd and the rekindling of the struggle for civil rights that has happened since he was killed.
I know you guys see how hot the ground is. Imagine how George Floyd had it for 8 minutes straight,” Breon Sanders said.
Courtney Luciana Photo
Breon Sanders.
Shelton Chief Shawn Sequeira, Kyle Kostenko, and Shy Akinloye.
Marchers included Shy Akinloye, from Trumbull. He recalled moving from North Carolina to Connecticut.
“I remember my first day of school and l was the only black kid in the school,” said Akinloye. “I was told by the other kids that I couldn’t sit with them at the lunch table. That altered my judgement on the opposite race.”
Akinloye said opposite races need to move forward by communicating as one.
“This protest is legendary to me,” Akinloye said. “To be here in the moment and to see a revolution happen like this amongst a diverse amount of people is a dream come true and I’m so happy to be a part of it.”
State Sen. George S. Logan, R‑Ansonia, state Rep. Christopher Roario, D‑Bridgeport, and state Rep. Kara Rochelle, D‑Ansonia, were among the elected leaders who marched.
“It’s important to say why I’m here and it’s to say his name, George Floyd,” Logan said. “He wasn’t perfect but no one is perfect. George Floyd, just like everyone of us, had hopes, dreams, and aspirations. Clearly, his family was important to him and that’s why it’s important for us to never forget his name. Never forget what happened. Understand that It’s up to each and everyone of us to learn from this and do what we can to make a difference.”
The protest ended around 4:30 p.m., as the crowd united as one and chorused ‘Black Lives Matter’ toward the Derby side of the bridge.
“Today we came together as community members who want a change,” Michel’le Sanders said, once the peaceful protest ended. “The time to be silent is over. We can’t be silent anymore. Even if it changes only one person’s mind then that’s what matters. Black lives don’t matter to certain people and until black lives matter, all lives don’t matter.”
The organizers noted a few times that Derby police officers opted not to march or speak on the bridge, while their Shelton counterparts did.
In an interview toward the end of the event, Derby Police Lt. Justin Stanko said Derby police opted not to participate in civil disobedience (there was no permits pulled for the event) on the bridge itself. But Stanko noted he spoke to the marchers as they gathered outside Derby City Hall.
Stanko said Derby police officers supported the marchers’ message of police accountability and the need for change. He noted Derby police huddled with organizers in advance, and escorted the marchers up Derby’s Main Street, blocking traffic so the event could happen.
He said the killing of George Floyd is prompting discussions of race that haven’t happened within police departments before.
“Listening to the organizers speak, it’s been educational and inspirational. It’s causing discussions both privately and professionally that haven’t happened before,” Stanko said.
He also noted that emergency vehicles, such as ambulances, would have been able to get across the bridge if needed (addressing a complaint that popped up several times on Valley Indy Facebook).
“And that came from the organizers themselves. They said under no circumstances would they block the road in an emergency,” Stanko said.
