No Arrests in Thursday Protests in Broome and Chenango Counties

Demonstrations around the region again to the protest the death of George Floyd while being taken into police custody in Minneapolis almost two weeks ago have been described by authorities as “peaceful.”

A few dozen demonstrators gathered at the Broome County Public safety facility June 4 to protest racial inequality and again raise issues about conditions at the County Jail that were the point of demonstrations months before the incident in Minnesota.

Many of the speakers in the evening had appeared at one or more of the previous three demonstrations in Binghamton and gathered under a pop-up tent provided by Progressive Leaders of Tomorrow or “PLOT”, a racial justice activist group.

Several of the protesters who had gathered in the Town of Dickinson are said to have gotten transportation to downtown Binghamton as speeches wound down at the Public Safety Facility.

Binghamton Police say a handful of people gathered on Court Street in the area in front of Metro Center for a time through the but authorities reported no confrontations and no arrests. Most demonstrators had dispersed before midnight.

Previous demonstrations in the City of Binghamton that started on May 31, had been followed by incidents of vandalism, although police have not provided a clear link between the criminal acts and the largely peaceful gatherings.

A protest against police brutality and racial bias was also held in Norwich June 4.  Authorities in Chenango County reported no arrests.