Rochester, New York Mayor Lovely Warren (D) has brought in about fifty local church elders to act as human shields between Black Lives Matter protesters and police. Rochester has been beset by riots the past few nights over just released video of the death of a Black man, Daniel Prude, while being restrained by police back in March.
Mayor Lovely Warren, screen image via MSNBC.
Warren made the announcement at a press conference earlier Sunday with the chief of police and a pastor. The arrangement was made as a reported threat to attack a city government building was revealed. The church elders were to form a line in front of the Public Safety Building with police behind them and protesters in the street. The hope is to prevent any planned attack on the building and to stop any violence. The elders showed up at the building for a time, but then formed to lead the protest march Sunday night.
The New York Post report on the announcement cited the toll of the riot Saturday night:
Three cops were injured and nine people arrested overnight during what amounted to the city’s biggest protest so far involving Prude’s death. Cops fired tear gas and pepper balls into the crowd of at least 1,500, while they were battered by bottles and commercial-grade fireworks by marchers who refused to disperse.
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Prude, a 41-year-old black man, died in March after an encounter with Rochester cops in which they put a mesh “spit hood” over his head and shoved his face to the ground till he stopped breathing while he suffered a mental breakdown on the street.
Video clips of Mayor Warren and Reverend Myra Brown speaking at the press conference:
“Our elders will stand as the buffer between the protesters and our police department.”
Rochester Mayor @lovelyawarren announces a community meeting between protesters and law enforcement following recent protests over the death of Daniel Prude pic.twitter.com/esEQwidenK
— Bloomberg QuickTake (@QuickTake) September 6, 2020
Brown said her goal is to protect protesters from police, “…We’re asking for justice, and until justice is served we have to make sure our young people are safe, right? That our college students are safe. That children who are marching are safe. And so, we elders have volunteered to put our bodies on the line to make sure that that happens because this community needs to unrestrictedly be able to walk these streets, be able to make the demands that they want to make and to be able to go home without pepper spray and pepper balls in their eyes and feel safe in this community…”
“It’s important for this community to be able to protest safely.”
A local Rochester pastor shares why elders have volunteered to join demonstrations for #DanielPrude pic.twitter.com/ZNHmCZNgRF
— Bloomberg QuickTake (@QuickTake) September 6, 2020
The elders did indeed show up:
#Meeting: Meeting of over 50 elders in Rochester hosting a forum. Hoping to help protestors tonight. Mayor Lovely Warren in attendance. They plan to stand in between protestors & police. @13WHAM pic.twitter.com/ncvYgF7o4O
— Andrew Banas (@AndrewWHAM) September 6, 2020
The group of elders has arrived outside of PSB in downtown Rochester. @13WHAM pic.twitter.com/KQsh7pHN9H
— Andrew Banas (@AndrewWHAM) September 6, 2020
The elders have arrived in front of the PSB creating a buffer that will be between PD & Protestors. #Rochester #DanielPrude pic.twitter.com/NHtiD54xTc
— JOSH NAVARRO (@JoshNavarroTV) September 6, 2020
Elder Shield in place at PSB and several police behind them, but no protesters. I gather they’re all on Jefferson still. pic.twitter.com/dQ45ZSzbyi
— Justin Murphy (@CitizenMurphy) September 6, 2020
Tonight, Sisters of Saint Joseph of Rochester are part of a group of elders encouraging peaceful protest in memory of #DanielPrude #roc pic.twitter.com/5V1iLPgUb7 #thanks @JoshNavarroTV pic.twitter.com/4GIBxtpKf5
— SistersofSt.Joseph (@SSJRochester) September 7, 2020
Video posted Sunday night show a church elder chanted in support of the protesters:
Elders have lined up on the front lines of tonight’s march for Daniel Prude in Rochester, Ny pic.twitter.com/Dr8GLWex0V
— Michael M. Santiago (@msantiagophotos) September 7, 2020
Church elders are leading the march:
#Rochester march organizer reorganizes crowd so church elders are in the front. The elders volunteered to serve as buffers between protesters and police. pic.twitter.com/vO8VOaFTBt
— Shayna Jacobs (@shaynajacobs) September 7, 2020
