PHOTOS: Jersey City Protesters Fill Streets, City Hall Steps

JERSEY CITY, NJ — Hundreds of Jersey City residents packed the streets and city hall for another day of protests. Residents took to the streets throughout the week, rallying at the South Precinct on Monday and outside city hall on Tuesday.

The protest, led by high school seniors in the Black Diaspora Club from McNair Academic High School, called to defund the police and continue activism and protests, beyond the convictions of the officers involved in Floyd’s death.

"White supremacy is an American problem, not a black problem," A'dreana Williams, President of the Black Diaspora Club said. The peaceful protest had the teens at the helm, commanding the audience of hundreds and being sure to remain inclusive.

"This includes undocumented people, you are American too, and we see you," Williams exclaimed to raucous applause. The crowd on the city hall steps held flags from countries ranging from Puerto Rico and Mexico to Palestine. Signs filled the crowd, in English and Spanish, calling for an end to police brutality and systemic racism.

Protesters held signs that read the names of victims of police brutality, “Defund the Police,” and “Am I Next?”

The high school group's message was a simple one- defund the police and rebuild. McNair senior and Black Diaspora member Jeanne D'arc Koffi explained, "We cannot keep talking about reform, so we vowed that these protests would be different," Koffi said, "We cannot trust a system that's inherently violent."

Koffi added that while she's only 18, it doesn't stop her from protesting or being an activist. "I'm not too young to be killed,"Koffi said.

As the speakers cycled through the mic, police lined the edges of the city hall steps closest to the building entrance. Some protesters called for police to chant with them, or take a knee, but Williams quickly made a clarification, pointing out she didn't want disingenuous gestures that felt more like "propaganda" for cameras.

"Stop asking police to kneel- if they want to kneel they will," Williams said, "We not begging for nothing."

Brief rain drizzles quickly cleared and gave way to beating sun. Medics were called into the crowd several times for protesters who were dehydrated or passed out. Leaders took breaks between chants and speeches to urge protesters to drink water and eat snacks.

An eponymously named Twitter page called for the rally on Saturday and stressed the event will be peaceful and that protesters must wear a mask.

Chants of “No justice, no peace,” rang through the downtown. When the rally circled back to the city hall steps, Williams 'spoke to the crowd about intersectionality in the Black Lives Matter movement and the importance of fighting for all black lives, especially as pride month begins.

Commanding the crowds' attention for hours, Williams touched on a variety of topics, including the gentrification of Jersey City's downtown.

"I'm glad we're taking up this space, because when we say no justice no peace, we mean the people of downtown," Williams said, "Because the people of Greenville need a nap."

The protests follow in the footsteps of cities across the country, reacting to the death of George Floyd, the Minneapolis man whose death was caught on video, as a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck.

On Monday, the Jersey City protest saw an estimated 600 people march up MLK Drive in the Greenville section of Jersey City, and Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop was in the crowd. Tuesday's rally brought an estimated 1,000 protesters to City Hall.