Anti-police brutality rally held in Asbury Park in wake of George Floyd

Hundreds of people gathered in Asbury Park Monday afternoon to participate in an anti-police brutality rally.

News 12 Staff

Jun 1, 2020, 11:16 PM

Updated 1,591 days ago

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Hundreds of people gathered in Asbury Park Monday afternoon to participate in an anti-police brutality rally.
The protest was organized in the wake of the death of George Floyd in Minnesota. Floyd who is black, died after a white police officer pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck for several minutes while making an arrest.
The demonstrators called for an end to police brutality and misconduct, as well as systematic racism. At one point during the rally, local law enforcement officers got down on one knee along with the protestors to honor Floyd.
"This is very serious and that type of brutality has got to stop. It could have been anyone. It could have been me. It could have been you," one demonstrator said.
Jamie Sanders of Manasquan brought her three children to the protest to teach them the importance of speaking up for those who can't.
"I feel important they know what’s going on and they are part of a positive change, and that they stand up for the rights of people who don't have a loud of a voice as we do,” she says.
But standers said that she stayed in the back, ready to leave if things turned violent.
“I just hope people use their heads and people don't come to just to cause destruction. Those people are not part of this,” she said.
The rally was one of the dozens taking place across New Jersey. The group gathered outside of the Asbury Park Post Office and was made up of people of a wide variety of ages, races, ethnicities and sexual orientations.
The protest started around 5 p.m. While a majority of the demonstrators left the area before the 8 p.m. curfew, about 100 remained as of 10 p.m. Asbury Park police broke up what was left of the crowds.