Salem residents gather for peaceful protest 

SALEM, N.H. — It wasn't like what he'd seen on television. It was peaceful.

Though it was at a distance, Maxwell Barrio, 11, of Salem attended his first protest on Thursday.

His parents Maria, 41, and Paulo, 44, brought him to Salem's Town Hall for an event organized in honor of the memory of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement. Maxwell was one of the more than 150 people who peacefully gathered to pray, listen to speakers and march up Geremonty Drive.

Floyd's death, which occurred while he was in police custody after a police officer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes, set off protests and demonstrations across the nation against police violence and systemic racism.

"Enough is enough, right?" Maria said when asked why they attended the march. "We wanted him (Maxwell) to see and experience a peaceful protest...It's great to see so many people in so many towns and cities doing this. I'm hopeful it's a turning point."

Maxwell got a lesson in history and kindness while staying to the side of the protest to observe and maintain social distance to avoid the coronavirus. 

"Treat people how you want to be treated," he said. "And it's OK to have friends and make friends that don't look like you. You shouldn't judge people by looks."

Others in the crowd were also at their first protest, while some, like Susan Mothon of Salem, have done this before.

"I demonstrated back in the 60s and I haven't seen that passion in a long time," she said — until now. Mothon added she was excited to see the overwhelming majority of young people in the crowd.

Salem High School graduates like Amy Gomez of 2019 and Abner Rodriguez of 2012 spoke about the racism they felt in the halls of their majority white high school.

"I've felt the racism a lot," Gomez said, explaining how she always stuck out as a person of color. "I used to hate how dark my skin would get and how curly my hair was because everyone in town had straight hair... I only understand a small part of what the black community goes through and it's much worse for them."

It was a successful event to organizer Amanda Houle, 38, of Salem, where people were able to share stories, chant, march, pray and lay in silence together.

"We have to be the change and we have to put in the effort," she said, reminding people that coming out to the protest and posting about it online was only the first step.  

Salem police and officers from the Rockingham County Sheriff's Department were at the event, ensuring people could cross the road and they closed down the street for a brief time for protesters to march to Kelley Library. Overall the protest was peaceful, Deputy Chief Joel Dolan said.

"As we can see it takes (the actions of) one officer to impact all of law enforcement," Dolan said. He said the Salem Police Department has been working to build community trust through programs like "Coffee with a Cop" and "National Night Out" and he hopes that his department's coordination in organizing the protest shows the community that the department values free speech.

Houle and other speakers said they hope people will continue to participate in creating the change they want to see through voting, through supporting black-owned businesses and through having tough conversations with people about race. Houle, who is white, admitted race is an uncomfortable thing to talk about and that she herself makes mistakes.

"I’m not perfect," Houle said. "I’m still learning... It’s being mindful and showing up in the world and know how your words are being used.”