A March to Respect Black Life & the Right to Assemble
Delhi Courthouse, Thursday July 30 at 6 pm
The New York State Sheriff’s Association recently introduced a dangerous legislative agenda, which was supported by six Southern Tier county sheriffs including Delaware County Sheriff Craig Dumond at a July 15th press conference. The sheriffs’ agenda is a callous, dismissive, and outrageous response to local and national demands to respect and value Black life and to respect the rights of free speech and assembly. It calls for a vast expansion of police power, limiting oversight of police, and punishing people who rightfully call attention to police misconduct.
If passed, it will put the lives and civil liberties of New York State residents in grave danger and further harm communities of color. It allows police to forbid bystanders from monitoring or filming their actions, and to arrest and incarcerate witnesses to police abuse. It is the antithesis of the policing reforms we need.
A number of area organizations including Citizen Action, Truth Pharm, Justice and Unity for the Southern Tier, and Progressive Leaders of Tomorrow came together to form the Peoples’ Protection Coalition, and have organized with other advocates across the Southern Tier to plan a multi-day, multi-county response.
Join us for this peaceful, socially distanced rally and march. Please wear a mask! Bring signs and/or percussion instruments. We’ll gather at the Courthouse Square in Delhi at 6pm on Thursday July 30. After a short welcome, we’ll march about a mile to the county jail at 280 Phoebe Lane, for a rally and brief remarks. (Those who wish can drive to the jail and meet us there.)
The event in Delhi is sponsored by Fair for All as part of its work to counter racist policies in Delaware County and make this area welcoming to everyone. Let’s stand up for our civil rights and for the safety and well-being of all people in our region!