Merrick Residents Confront Black Lives Matter Protesters: WATCH

MERRICK, NY — A peaceful protest over the death of George Floyd was disrupted by a group of mostly white Merrick residents Tuesday night. The residents wanted Nassau County police to stop the protesters from marching down Merrick Road.

The protesters were initially stopped by police, reports said. Residents were concerned about violence breaking out due to posts made on social media earlier in the day.

Nassau County police marched around the protesters to separate them from the residents, many of whom were yelling at the protesters to go home. Some residents yelled "Go west!", urging the protesters to head toward Freeport, which has a diverse population. Merrick is more than 90 percent white.

There were about 150 protesters in the march, according to Nassau County Executive Laura Curran.

Nassau County police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said his officers surrounded the protesters while they marched down Merrick Road to protect them from anti-protesters.

"We surrounded the protesters because we protect all of the protesters, no matter what side of the argument they're on," he said. "The First Amendment was exercised, and then everybody went home peacefully."

Ryder added that the Nassau County police officers have a "zero tolerance" policy for any acts of violence or criminal mischief at the protests.

The Merrick Chamber of Commerce denounced the actions of the counter-protesters, saying the actions of a few do not reflect the feelings of the entire Merrick community.

"The Merrick Chamber of Commerce does not support nor condone such behaviors," the group wrote in a post on Facebook. "Now more than ever, we need the residents to support our local businesses and shop local. Please do not let the behavior of a few be a reflection of us all. In times of uncertainty, we need to work together and support and respect one another."

The Merrick march was one of five that occurred around the county Tuesday. A protest in Long Beach drew about 2,000 demonstrators. Between all of the protests, there were no arrests and no property damage, Curran said.

"I am overwhelmed with pride. Our residents protested peacefully," Curran said. "I'm so proud of Commissioner Ryder and his entire team. Our officers, detectives, our superior officers. It's times like these when you see why training, why building bridges between our communities and the police, why professionalism, why these are so important."