ALLENTOWN – On June 7, a vigil for justice to honor George Floyd with prayer took place in Allentown’s Heritage Park.
The event followed the May 25 arrest of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black resident of Minneapolis, Minn. Video of the arrest shows a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, pressing his knee to Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes.
Floyd was handcuffed and was face down in the street during the time Chauvin was astride him. Floyd died during the incident and Chauvin has been charged with second degree murder.
Three other officers who were at the scene of Floyd’s arrest have been charged with aiding and abetting second degree murder.
Allentown officials said the local event was planned and organized by community activist leader Nikki Darling Scott. Mayor Thomas C. Fritts and Police Chief Daniel Panckeri were the co-sponsors.
Religious leaders from the Allentown Presbyterian Church, including Pastor Stephen and Liz Heinzel-Nelson, Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries Karen Collins, and Deacon Paula Lotito, also worked as co-sponsors for the event and the caravan of cars supporting the cause that traveled through the community prior to the noon event in the park, according to municipal officials.
Scott thanked those in attendance for showing that a small community like Allentown can speak up for change and make a difference in the Black Lives Matter movement, according to municipal officials.
Speakers included Fritts, Councilwoman Martha A. Johnson, Scott’s son Kemani Scott, and Panckeri.
Fritts called the event “incredibly peaceful and inspiring.”
Panckeri said his door is always open to those who want to speak with him about ways to address change in the community.
Pastor Stephen Heinzel-Nelson offered a few words before reading from scripture. Maddie and Jake Hill performed a song before Nikki Darling Scott and Karen Collins led those assembled in a final prayer.
At that point, everyone present knelt together for eight minutes and 46 seconds to commemorate the amount of time Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck before his death. The event concluded with Kemani Scott performing “We Are the World.”
Councilwoman Angela Anthony, Councilman John A. Elder, III, Councilman Dan Payson, Municipal Clerk Laurie A. Roth and members of the Allentown Police Department were also in attendance, according to municipal officials.
