George Floyd Protest Held In Cleveland Heights

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OH — Shouting "No justice, no peace," hundreds of protesters gathered outside Cleveland Heights City Hall to demand better policing on Wednesday. They were joined by several city officials and flanked by police officers.

The crowd chanted the names of George Floyd, Tamir Rice, Ahmaud Arbery and others. Attendees were then instructed to drop to one knee for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, the same amount of time a police officer pressed his knee against Floyd's neck. When the crowd dropped to one knee, Cleveland Heights police officers followed suit.

Speakers said repeatedly they were demanding better policing from officers, before calling on Police Chief Annette Mecklenburg to speak. The police chief shuffled to the front of the crowd and said, "We want to work with you. We want to do better. I can do better. I need to listen."

Protesters shouted questions at Mecklenburg, asking what she would do to prevent racist police practices. Speakers specifically questioned the police chief on how she would instill a sense of accountability in her officers and what she would do to promote de-escalation.

City Manager Tanisha Briley then took a megaphone and assured the crowd they were being heard.

"Today is the day we hear your voice," she said.

Officers and protesters took another knee together and raised their fists to the sky. The protest ended with a prayer and promises of future town hall meetings to address the issues raised by speakers.

"We knew today would be peaceful," said Andrew Pope, one of the speakers at the protest. "We didn't want to come at this with violence."

Pope echoed one of the protests buzzwords — "accountability."

"I want to see police officers held accountable. I want them to change the way they approach policing. I want genuine change."