At 6:00 pm on June 5th, well over 200 attendees gathered at Lander’s Centennial Park for a demonstration to protest and mourn the loss of George Floyd who was murdered by Minneapolis Police on May 25th.
Several community members spoke throughout the evening not only about George Floyd, but addressed the racism and white supremacy happening here in Fremont County. Highlighting the violence Black, Indigenous, and People of Color live with on an ongoing basis locally.
Attendees then moved to the sidewalk on the south side of Main Street between 2nd and 3rd (and then some). They held signs in solidarity with demonstrations happening nationwide and in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Several passersby showed their support by honking and shouting out their windows.
The demonstration was met with armed community members on the north side of Main Street.
At around 7:00 pm attendees moved to Jaycee Park. You can watch the live video of attendees moving to the park on County 10’s Facebook page by clicking here.
At the park, more community members addressed attendees and invited everyone to move forward with dismantling racism throughout the county and move towards racial justice. The evening peacefully ended around 8:30 pm.
Organizers created The Justice For Floyd – Lander Facebook page as an information resource for those wanting to get involved. You can learn more by clicking here.
This was the third demonstration in Fremont County this week. The Riverton vigil hosted around 200 attendees and Dubois hosted a smaller one as well.