Businesses in Downtown Cleveland opened today for the first time since last weekend’s protests over the killing of George Floyd. The city has imposed curfews since Saturday.
Deon Sankey was outside, taking a break from cleaning up at the bar where he works near Progressive Field. He says there will likely be more peaceful protests. And he says people need to understand the difference between a protest and a riot.
“Protest is when you stand up for what you believe in, in peace. A riot is destruction. Whenever I hear that word ‘riot’ I think of destruction. And I think a lot of people took advantage of that so they could loot, steal, and destroy. And for what? That’s what I believe.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGeqin8mOyI
Eugene Platts is a lifelong Clevelander. He also supports the peaceful protests, and agrees there are likely to be more.
“If there’s such a thing as the greater good, it’s in those protesters. And I do believe it’s impacting people across the nation.”
The streets from Ohio City to Cleveland State are still largely empty of cars and people. A SWAT team has been placed on the plaza between Progressive Field and Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
Updated curfew information: https://t.co/ZTXhu4rFVi
— Cleveland Police (@CLEpolice) June 2, 2020
