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Live updates: Syracuse protesters march for 3rd day

Madison Brown | Staff Photographer

Protested have marched and demonstrated for hours and into the night since Saturday.

By Emma Folts, Mira BerenbaumThe Daily Orange

Protesters marched in Syracuse for a third night to protest police brutality and the alleged murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Floyd, a Black man, died after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes. Derek Chauvin, the officer who knelt on Floyd’s neck, faces charges of third-degree murder and manslaughter.

Mayor Ben Walsh and County Executive Ryan McMahon lifted the countywide curfew on Monday afternoon after less than 24 hours. The county remains in a special state of emergency after about 25 businesses were damaged or looted on Saturday night. Since then, protests in Syracuse have remained peaceful without clashes between demonstrators and police.

9:53 p.m. The crowd fully dispersed, according to Syracuse.com.

8:55 p.m. Protesters are encouraging others to go home. Some plan to return to S. State Street tomorrow at 2 p.m.



8:43 p.m. “To the little kids that are here, don’t ever let nobody break your spirit the way they broke mine,” one protester says. “But now that I’m older, I know that my Black is beautiful.” Protesters respond with cheers.

Later, some protesters begin dancing to Kirk Franklin’s “Revolution.” “Do you want a revolution?” Franklin asks. “Whoop, whoop,” the protesters respond, singing along to the chorus.

8:40 p.m. Marching protesters have met up with a group of organizers who remained outside the Justice Center in downtown Syracuse, where a candlelight vigil is being held.

8:22 p.m. “We are tired, we are angry, we are upset, but we are together,” one protester says before leading chants of “United we stand, divided we fall.”

8:20 p.m. “Young people, you have a voice,” said Clifford Ryan, founder of OG’s Against Gun Violence. “We need your leadership, we need your mind. We need to know what’s on your mind… I love you so, so much.”

About 8:08 p.m. Protesters link arms as they begin to march down S. State Street.

8:07 p.m. The crowd approaches the city. One protester plays “Glory,” by John Legend and Common as others chant “this is what democracy looks like.” Some begin to dance as they march.

7:59 p.m. Protesters form a circle in an intersection near downtown, kneeling and chanting Floyd’s and Breonna Taylor’s names. The crowd later stands, chanting “Black Lives Matter.” Some protesters begin to lie on the ground, hands behind their backs. As organizers close in, those lying on the ground begin to shout “mama,” and “I can’t breathe.”

7:55 p.m. 

7:47 p.m. Protesters kneel in the intersection of W. Onondaga Street, South Ave. and Rosa Parks Way. The crowd breaks into cheers, acknowledging the street named after Rosa Parks. The protesters are no longer “at the back of the bus,” one says. “We’re at the front.”

7:35 p.m. About four police cars are driving at the front of the march as protesters chant “I can’t breathe.” “If I can’t breathe,” Ryan chants, “We can’t breathe,” the crowd replies. Protesters continue to march, chanting “Black Lives Matter” as cars honk in support.

7:33 p.m. A resident ran out of their home moments ago and hugged a protester on the sidewalk. “Justice,” they said, raising a fist.

7:19 p.m. Protesters are at the intersection of South Ave. and W. Colvin Street chanting “hands up, don’t shoot.”

7:06 p.m.: Protesters have decided to march down one lane of South Ave.

7:01 p.m.: “I thank y’all,” a resident on the sidewalk says with a raised fist as the march passes.

6:59 p.m. Protesters are getting ready to “take Salina Street,” Ryan said. At least 100 people are marching.

6:58 p.m. Protesters are now approaching E. Colvin Street. People standing outside a market are observing the crowd as it passes.

6:51 p.m. Twiggy Billue, president of Syracuse’s Chapter of the National Action Network, is now leading the crowd in chants of Floyd’s and Breonna Taylor’s name. 

6:37 p.m. Protesters are encouraging residents to join the march as they pass, raising fists in encouragement.

6:36 p.m. Protesters are now kneeling at an intersection. Ryan is leading a chant of “United we stand, divided we fall.”

6:31 p.m. Protesters are raising their hands and chanting “hands up, don’t shoot,” as they approach Burt Street.

6:28 p.m. Cars are following the group, honking in solidarity. Protesters are carrying signs that say “Black lives over property,” and “white silence is violence.”

6:19 p.m. The crowd on S. State Street is now moving past the Everson Museum, chanting “no justice, no peace.”

5 p.m. Protesters rally outside the Public Safety Building in downtown Syracuse.





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