“We’re not really planning on having any problems whatsoever.”
That’s what Batesville Police Chief Alan Cockrill told White River Now’s Gary Bridgman Thursday about three planned events coming this weekend to Riverside Park that are related to the death of George Floyd and American racial issues.
On Wednesday, the White River Now media family featured an interview with Latoya Garza, one of the organizers of a demonstration entitled “Peaceful Protest,” that will be held from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the park. (Click here for more information on that story.)
And according to Cockrill and a post shared on Instagram, another related demonstration is planned for 4 p.m. Saturday, directly following the Peaceful Protest.
“I don’t know if they’re going to combine the two — the 3 o’clock and 4 o’clock [demonstrations] — and have one larger event. Or if they’re two separate groups, two separate things,” said Cockrill.
“Everything we’ve been told, we’re not anticipating any trouble,” the chief said. “We’ll have a couple of guys down there to keep any problems from occurring, and make sure everybody gets their rights and their way to express themselves peacefully.”
The third event, billed as a “Candlelight Vigil for prayer, PEACE, and UNITY for our nation,” is scheduled to be held from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday at Riverside Park.
The vigil is being hosted by a group called Humanity Missions and is described as a “flameless candlelight vigil for all races to come together in the name of peace, to pray for our country, and honor the lives of our fallen brothers and sisters, George Floyd, and the police officers who have lost their lives in this war on inequality.”
Participants are asked to bring flameless candles. Face masks will be required, and any crime, violence, rioting, or vandalism will not be tolerated.
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