I Hear You. Black Lives Matter: Newton Mayor To Protesters

NEWTON, MA — Protests over the killing of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis continued in dozens of U.S. cities throughout the weekend across the commonwealth, including in Newton.

"I hear you. Black Lives Matter," Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller tweeted Sunday alongside a picture from City Hall showing a crowd of people dotting the lawn.

Those who attended told Patch the scene was at times "eerily quiet."

Floyd was killed by a now-former Minneapolis police officer who put his knee on Floyd's neck for nearly 9 minutes while Floyd repeatedly said he couldn't breath. The officer has since been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.

Video of the incident sparked anger and kicked off protest across the country. A number of mostly peaceful protests in large cities turned chaotic over the weekend with vandalism, looting, including in Boston this weekend.

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School Committee Chairwoman Ruth Goldman, and City Council President Susan Albright joined the mayor during the weekend to denounce "the unacceptable loss of lives due to the color of someone's skin."

The three city leaders said the violence heightened fear and anxiety not just across the country but also Newton's Black community.

"While these particular actions happened outside Newton, we have struggled in our schools and community here to address racist actions and words as well," they said in a statement, adding that it was the responsibility of community leaders to keep everyone safe by working with members of civic and social communities to address systemic, conscious and unconscious racial bias in schools and in the city.

"We pledge to dedicate ourselves to making sure you are valued and to proclaim to all that there is no place for hate, no place for racism, no place for bigotry, and no place for injustice in our City of Newton," they said.

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).Have a press release you'd like posted on the Patch? Here's how to post a press release, opinion piece.