Protests against police brutality are planned this afternoon in Streator and LaSalle. The protests come a week after George Floyd, a man in police custody in Minneapolis, died.
A Streator Police Department statement says there will be a peaceful demonstration in the Walmart parking lot at 3pm. The department says police are working with the people involved so it can be a peaceful protest. The words “peaceful protest” are in all capitals in each instance in the message.
The LaSalle and Peru police departments will send officers to a protest planned for 5pm this evening. A joint statement issued by LaSalle Police Chief Rob Uranich and Peru Police Chief Doug Bernabei says it’s to support a peaceful protest and show solidarity with the community. The demonstrators plan to walk from the LaSalle fire station to the police station and have nine minutes of silence. The LaSalle-Peru police joint statement says the officers involved in Floyd’s death are not representative of the majority of those in law enforcement.
Ottawa police also issued a statement this afternoon, saying they are aware of some demonstrations planned in the area and have been in contact with the demonstrators. The statement from Chief Brent Roalson says police will not condone criminal activity but will support those who are peacefully demonstrating for change.
These statements come as people spread messages–unsubstantiated as far as we can tell–that violent protesters are on their way to the area from places outside the county.