Black Lives Matter Members Meet With Philadelphia Officials, Law Enforcement As Powerful Protests Continue In Region
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- It was another day of peaceful and powerful protests from people all over the Delaware Valley, from all walks of life, marching and demanding justice. On Sunday afternoon, Black Lives Matter protesters met with elected officials in Philadelphia as well as law enforcement.
City leaders called the two-hour meeting a listening session and it happened while protests swept all across the region.
No signs were held during this moving protest in Montgomery County on Sunday, just handlebars.
"This was our way of peacefully protesting," one protester said.
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Called the Blackout Bike Ride, dozens of demonstrators on two wheels and dressed in black combined pedal power with a call to end racism. It started in Conshohocken on Sunday afternoon and ended at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
"The message that we have is, yes, love your neighbor, treat others as you would like to be treated and be the change that you want to be," a protester said.
Another group called Doctors for Black Lives Matter rallied in Center City by Broad and Vine Streets -- some of them wearing scrubs or white coats.
"We understand that your trust in the medical system is fractured, but we are here today to show you that we are showing up, that we are listening," a Doctors for Black Lives Matter protester said.
In West Philadelphia, hundreds of people -- including many clergies and other religious leaders -- walked in unity, along with District Attorney Larry Krasner.
Over in Glassboro, Gloucester County, demonstrators flooded into the street during a nine-mile march symbolizing the nearly nine minutes a Minneapolis police officer put a knee on George Floyd's neck. One demonstrator carried a wooden cross.
Over the past week, the state of New Jersey has seen nearly 100 rallies.
Back in Montgomery County on Sunday afternoon, protesters rallied outside of Commissioner Joe Gale's home in Plymouth Meeting. Demonstrators are again demanding for the Republican to resign after he called Black Lives Matter a hate group and compared looting to domestic terrorism.
But on Sunday, Gale told Eyewitness News that he stands by what he said.
"The far left has chosen to paint law enforcement as the enemy of black Americans," Gale said.
FULL COVERAGE OF GEORGE FLOYD PROTESTS
Meanwhile, Councilmember Jamie Gauthier and state Rep. Joanna McClinton of West Philadelphia met with Black Lives Matter on Sunday and streamed the meeting online. Police in West and Southwest Philadelphia, as well as Councilmember Jamie Gauthier, also attended the meeting.
In Center City, Sunday marks the seventh day since the National Guard was ordered to be stationed outside of City Hall.
Police say since last Saturday night and midnight on Sunday, there have been more than 760 arrests in Philadelphia alone, most of those were for curfew violations from over the weekend. Nearly 30 police officers were injured, as of midnight, and one remains in the hospital.
There is no citywide curfew on Sunday night in Philadelphia.