Five Years Since Protests and Peaceful Rally in Downtown Erie - Erie News Now | WICU & WSEE in Erie, PA

Five Years Since Protests and Peaceful Rally in Downtown Erie

It's been five years since the death of George Floyd, which sparked protests and riots across the country and right here in Erie. 

Former Erie News Now Reporter and Anchor, Ethan Kibbe covered the destructive riots in late May and recalled, "Remember that day started with a huge peaceful protest, as is constitutionally protected, the right to protest. But then as we know it devolved into rioting that night and I think to see another large scale peaceful protest a week later just demonstrated that is there a right way and a wrong way to try to send a message through public action and Erie applauds protesting and voicing your concerns, but it frowns upon strongly violence."

As night fell, riots broke out in the city causing alarm and panic on State Street. "Honestly, just the surprise that it's been five years, it doesn't feel like it. It feels like it's been one or two years. But it's one of those things that whenever it comes up, it's clear in my mind, it's not something you forget easily. Just because it was A, scary to an extent but, B, something that just doesn't happen in Erie."

The riot caused community and faith leaders to take action by holding peaceful march one week later. Bishop Dwane Brock, one of the leaders of the march said, "We had the largest march in the history of Erie, Pennsylvania, a peaceful march, a peaceful protest."

It was an event that brought all different groups of people together for a common goal. According to Bishop Brock, "It was a kaeldiscope of people, you had people, you had black, brown, and white people, and people from different ethnicities and people from different economic backgrounds coming together. Coming together, walking together in peace and harmony, which we demonstrated that it cane be done."

Bishop Brock is confident that if another event sparked change in Erie, people would step up. "Servant leaders like myself will take up the mantle, if not me, it will be someone else, will take up and mantle and we cannot continue this way, we can bring about a sensitivity and awareness of people working together."

Bishop Brock said that we need to continue to educate the young people about the riots, not only around the country, but here at home.