The Naperville branch of Unity Partnership, an organization that aims to foster better dialogue and relationships between civilians and the police, held a rally in front of the carillon bell tower at Rotary Hill across the street from Naperville Central High School on Saturday, May 31. The event was sparked by the recent killing of a black man, George Floyd, by a white police officer in Minneapolis. 

Many of the protesters came dressed in black in mourning for Floyd with signs that read “black lives matter,” “stop police brutality,” “stop killing black people,” and other similar messages. 

The protest lasted for about two hours with speakers from the Unity Partnership, including president and founder Regina Brent. 

The Minneapolis killing has started a wave of rallies across the nation to protest the police brutality targeted at African Americans. 

“When the outrage with Mr. Floyd happened in Minnesota, we had enough,” Brent said.

Other speakers included Naperville city councilmen Benny White, DuPage county board member Greg Hart, additional  members of the Unity Partnership and volunteers from Naperville “Diversity Dinners.”

The crowd stood silent for eight minutes to honor the eight minutes Floyd was held on the ground without being able to breathe.

Unity Partnership plans to enact change in legislation and law enforcement over the coming months with a series of other requests and protests.