'March For Black Lives' Draws Thousands In Berkeley Heights, NJ
BERKELEY HEIGHTS, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Another peaceful demonstration in New Jersey drew thousands of supporters Sunday.
The crowd marched for two miles through Berkeley Heights and knelt in silence for eighth minutes and 46 seconds, representing the amount of time a police officer had his knee on George Floyd's neck.
The "March for Black Lives" was organized by local high school graduates as well as the Berkeley Heights Diversity Council.
RELATED STORY: Jersey City Protests Remain Peaceful As Leaders Announce Reforms
Some students say they were overwhelmed by the response.
"It pains me to see what people who look like me go through, and I just feel that everyone can play an active role in combating it," said Victoria Vanriele, a senior at Governor Livingston High School.
"It means the world to me to see my community come together in a way that I really just didn't think would happen," protester Jakada Khalfani said.
The march was originally planned for Memorial Park, but the crowd was so big they had to go to a middle school field.
Meanwhile, Gov. Phil Murphy spent time at protests in Hillside and Westfield.
Today, in Hillside, we marched for justice.
— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) June 7, 2020
For George Floyd and for the many before him – who lost their lives for being Black.
We march because we will not accept systemic racism and bias as just part of our national condition. Black Lives Matter. pic.twitter.com/JGe00Xa1qS
The governor said he was invited to the march in Westfield by a high school junior who wrote him a letter describing her own experiences with racism.
Last week, Nala Angella Scott, a high school junior, wrote me a heartbreaking and powerful letter inviting me to today's protest and describing her own experiences with racism growing up in Westfield.
— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) June 7, 2020
Today, so many New Jerseyans and I gathered with her to demand change. pic.twitter.com/ErZFqoKUD1
For Nala and for every young Black person – your life matters. We will fight to break the chains of inequality and systemic racism to ensure you live in a state and nation defined by justice and love.
— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) June 7, 2020
He tweeted photos, saying, "We will fight to break the chains of inequality and systemic racism."'