By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff
OCEAN CITY — A couple of hundred people gathered Tuesday, June 2, at the foot of the Route 52 causeway in Somers Point before making their way across the bridge to Ocean City, where they gathered in front of the police department.
It was the latest show of opposition to the death of black Minneapolis resident George Floyd at the hands of white law enforcement. Floyd, 46, died May 25 during his curbside detention by officers who suspected him of passing counterfeit currency at a store.
Police officer Derek Chauvin, who was seen on video pinning his knee on Floyd’s neck, was fired from the force and later charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Three other officers who were present were also fired but had not been charged as of Tuesday evening.
Unlike many protests around the nation, this one was devoid of the violence and property damage seen elsewhere.
Local business owners, aware of the planned protest ahead of time, took precautions such as boarding up windows and doors. Circle Liquor Store and The Crab Trap restaurant were at ground zero of the expected gathering. Somers Point police in riot gear and military-style vehicles were stationed in the parking lot of Circle Liquor, while The Crab Trap hired armed guards to protect its property.
Businesses as far away as CJs Corner Grill at New York Avenue and Shore Road covered their glass windows and doors with plywood to keep out any potential looters.
What looked like a total bust turned into a pretty significant gathering as the 1 p.m. start time neared. Protesters started gathering at the gazebo on the Somers Point side of the bridge and, when the area became too crowded, seemed to start across the bridge without prompting.
More people gathered on the Somers Point side of the bridge and again started across as drivers passing by honked their horns in support.
Upon entering Ocean City, the crowd was again met by a large police presence. Lacking leadership, the crowd didn’t seem to know what to do when it got there.
Urged forward by the mass of bodies behind, the protest quickly made its way down Ninth Street, turning left at West Avenue and right at Eighth Street before gathering in front of the Ocean City Police Department on Central Avenue.
Hundreds gathered there, chanting things such as “black lives matter” and “I can’t breathe,” but the mostly white, younger crowd had its own mantra, scrolled on signs and spoken by mouths: “White silence = violence.”
Various people spoke in support of an end to the “systemic racism” in America. The crowd observed a moment of silence lasting 8 minutes, 46 seconds — the length of time the officer had his knee of Floyd’s neck — and by 3:30 had largely dispersed for the long trek back across the causeway.
