Updates from Monday night’s protest in downtown Wilmington
11:17 p.m. Update: The protest in downtown Wilmington has mostly winded down.
While some are staying on chatting with one another on the steps of Wilmington City Hall, most have headed home after a peaceful evening of marching and chanting.
10 p.m. Update: Wilmington protesters begin to disperse
Although some protesters in downtown Wilmington have gone home, the emotion behind the protest can still be felt through the chants of the dwindling crowd.
The group has been chanting George Floyd’s name throughout the evening, and around 9:40 p.m. began shouting the names of other black men and women who have lost their lives, including Breonna Taylor, Michael Brown, and Trayvon Martin.
The crowd of hundreds is now down to about 70-to-80 people.
9:15 p.m. Update:Wilmington protesters march through downtown streets
The protest in downtown Wilmington has now grown to hundreds of people gathered in response to the death of George Floyd.
Protesters began the evening on the steps of Wilmington City Hall before marching through downtown Wilmington for approximately 20 minutes around 8:40 p.m.
Wilmington Police Department officers stopped traffic at points throughout the march to allow protesters to safely cross streets.
At the end of the march, Lily Nicole addressed the crowd again to remind them to keep the protest peaceful. She noted there is no curfew, but there is also no permit and protesters need to stay out of the road.
The group then held a moment of silence for George Floyd, fists raised and punctuated by cheers as bypassing cars honked and motorcycles revved their engines.
The group has begun marching again down Market Street.
8:51 p.m. Update: Wilmington protesters march through downtown streets
Protesters are now marching through downtown Wilmington as they continue chanting.
Several people who attended Sunday night’s protest came back out to show support for a second night.
One of those is Lily Nicole, who helped de-escalate the situation by acting as a voice of reason Sunday night.
Monday’s protest “seems to be much better organized,” Nicole said, and she was optimistic about it remaining peaceful.
Hannah Smith, 27, has lived in Wilmington all of her life and said she came out to protest Sunday and Monday because she wants to leave the world a better place.
“I’m tired of my black brothers and sisters being snuffed out in the street for no reason,” Smith said.
The reason longtime Wilmington resident Thao Ho, 26, came out Monday was twofold.
“I’m not just a protester, I’m a witness,” Ho said. “No matter what, violence is not the answer and I’m here to control the protester of I could and witness if a cop is stepping out of line.”
Darby Freeman, 22, and J.T. Smith, 22, live a couple of blocks away and came to show their support for the protest, one they said is very different from Sunday night.
“I just want everyone to know this is peaceful,” Freeman said. “Things just escalated really quickly last night.”
They and others are working alongside law enforcement throughout the evening. By around 8 p.m. there were approximately 15 Wilmington Police Department officers and New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office deputies along the roadside with protesters and another six on the opposite side of Third Street.
None of the officers were wearing riot gear or personal protective equipment.
While the protesters gathered by the roadside, law enforcement reminded them to stay out of the street and most complied.
A Wilmington Police Department officer was chatting and shaking hands with protesters, and officers bowed their heads during a moment of silence.
“See that cop over there, he is doing good work,” J.T. Smith said.
However, Nicole said there are a couple of things making her nervous. She noticed a few people who were instigating the situation Sunday night show up, and not having a curfew in place means there’s no specific time people have to disperse and go home.
While addressing the crowd, Nicole said the later it goes the higher the possibility is of issues arising.
She hopes to see Monday’s protest end by 10 p.m.
The strong presence of Wilmington Police Department officers in the area made her feel more confident, though, she added.
7:50 p.m. Update: Wilmington protesters chant 'George Floyd’ from city steps
The protesters continue to cheer intermittently, including when cars honk and when a man walked through the group burning sage.
Around 7:50 p.m. the group moved to the edge of the sidewalk, some standing in the bike lane in the road, chanting “Black lives matter,” “Hands up, don’t shoot,” “No justice, no peace,” and “George Floyd.”
Several additional law enforcement have come out to the protest and have asked protesters to remain on the sidewalk and off the street.
While it may be unclear who organized Monday night’s protest, some of those in attendance said they’ll continue to show up as long as the protests continue.
Darby Freeman, 22, and J.T. Smith, 22, live a couple blocks away from Wilmington City Hall where approximately 100 people gathered to protest in response to the death of George Floyd. While they haven’t heard of any plans to continue protesting, they both said they can and will come if they see people continue to gather.
Freeman and Smith are are encouraging people to honk as they drive by, holding signs that say, “Black lives dreams goals futures matter” and “We are peaceful you are violent stop lying.” While some drivers are encouraging protesters, one shouting “Liberty and justice for all” through the window, others can be seen visibly shaking their heads as they pass.
7 p.m. Update: Protests begin for third day in a row in Wilmington
For a third day, protests in response to the death of George Floyd are being held in Wilmington.
As of 7 p.m., about 100 people were gathered on the steps of Wilmington City Hall on 3rd Street in downtown Wilmington for a quiet and peaceful protest.
As cars drove by and honked, the group cheers and raises their signs, which say “Black lives matter,” “We will not be silent,” and “No more sensationalized black murder by cops,” among others. It was unclear who organized the event.
“I just want to make a difference,” said Keylon Armstrong. “It’s all been peaceful.”
Two Wilmington Police Department officers and one New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office deputy are on scene.
The protests are being held in response to Floyd’s death on May 25 after a police officer in Minneapolis knelt on his neck for nearly 9 minutes.
Sunday night a protest began around 6:30 p.m. with approximately 60 people. By 8 p.m. hundreds had gathered, and the evening ended with Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo issuing a State of Emergency and a curfew went into effect following police using tear gas in an attempt to get the group to disperse.
On Saturday, nearly 200 people met at the 1898 Memorial Park for a protest hosted by a local Black Lives Matter group and the New Hanover County chapter of the National Black Leadership Caucus.
“I just want to make a difference.” - Keylon Armstrong, protester
