Freehold Floyd Protest Grows Tense: 'Hear What We Have To Say'

FREEHOLD, NJ — Protesters gathered in downtown Freehold Tuesday to protest over the death of George Floyd, another among the dozens of demonstrations that have been happening all over the country in the last week.

In addition to chants of "I can't breathe" and "Black Lives Matter," the protesters in Freehold repeatedly chanted at members of the borough police force, "Kneel With Us."

The "kneel with us" chant is a nod to actions by law enforcement all over — including in nearby Asbury Park — that have aimed to convey the message of support for the peaceful demonstrations and acknowledgement of anger over the killing of Floyd, 46, died when a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on Floyd's neck for more than 8 minutes.

"The death of George Floyd at the hands of four police officers is tragic, and more importantly, could have been avoided by just one of those officers doing the right thing," Freehold Borough Police Chief Craig W. Dispenza said in a written statement. "The Freehold Borough Police Department condemns the acts of these four officers and mourns with the Floyd Family."

A livestream of the Freehold protest posted by the Asbury Park Press showed the demonstrators, who later marched to the Monmouth County Courthouse, repeatedly urging Freehold officers to kneel with them in a visible show of support in an event that was more tense than some of the other protests.

Freehold police officers declined to kneel, which made some of those in attendance angry.

"They won't kneel because they don't (care)," one young woman said, yelling.

Adults in the crowd repeatedly told the younger protesters that they needed to "watch their tone" and urged them to calm down and have discussions with the police instead of confrontations.

"Use your voice, not your fists," the woman said to the crowd.

She also had a message for the police officers.

"Understand their anger, their frustration," she said. "They are afraid. They just want to know you're not going to kill them on sight."

"All we're asking is for you to hear what we have to say," another young woman said.

"Racism is alive and we will combat it," said one woman who addressed the crowd at the Monmouth County Courthouse.

They demanded those participated stay peaceful.

"Stay intelligent, stay calm. You have a voice but use it in a way that helps," Shelly Torrens said. "The system has to change. In an intelligent, peaceful manner, things will change."

"Be peaceful, but be mad," said another woman, who mentioned she has a 5-year-old son. "In 13 years, this could be him."

"The Freehold Borough Police Department has long enjoyed a positive relationship with the community that we serve and plan to keep that relationship on track," Dispenza's statement said. "Freehold Borough is a small town, and enjoys the benefits of being a small town, one of which is that our police officers and citizens know each other. For most of our residents, when they have an interaction with an officer they are dealing with someone they know, not a stranger in uniform."

"Because we have such a tight-knit community, I believe that we can solve any issue which might arise," he said. "Dealing with issues by involving the community, police and town officials, has been successful in the past and I believe will be successful in the future. Be safe and be proud of your community and stay Freehold Strong."

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