SARATOGA SPRINGS – Concerned over student safety during a seven-hour Black Lives Matter protest on Saturday, Skidmore College's president said he worked with Mayor Meg Kelly and Commissioner of Public Safety Robin Dalton to urge "a peaceful resolution to the event."
“Ultimately, the protest thinned, moved to Congress Park and dispersed," President Marc Conner wrote in an email to the Skidmore community. "I am extremely pleased and relieved to say that there was no conflict and no violence.”
The large rally blocked the intersection of Broadway and Lake Avenue on Saturday afternoon. City police, Saratoga County sheriff's deputies and State Police converged on the scene, and were observing as hundreds participated in the downtown demonstration.
Conner also said that he sent campus security to the protest to encourage students who were occupying Broadway, the city's main thoroughfare, to follow police instruction to move to the sidewalks. He did so because under a new city ordinance, blocking streets makes the protest “an illegal gathering and is subject to law.” Campus security also offered students rides back to campus, and Skidmore Vice President for Student Affairs Cerri Banks, as well as a representative from the president's office, were on scene.
“As I have said multiple times over the past four months, I and the college fully support peaceful and legal protest,” Conner wrote. “It’s a fundamental right.” But he said, the college has no authority over the event that includes many Skidmore students and he wants to do "all I can to protect and safeguard our students.”
All of Us, the group that organized Saturday’s protest, was demanding “accountability" for the July 30th rally that ended when Saratoga County Sheriff’s deputies, arriving in an armored vehicle, shot protesters with pepper spray pellets as they gathered on Broadway outside of Congress Park. It is still unclear who gave the order to shoot the protesters with the irritant. The protesters also want answers in the death of Darryl Mount Jr., the 21-year-old bi-racial man who fell into a coma and later died after he was pursued on foot by police.
A subsequent October protest, which angered some business owners on Phila Street when outdoor diners were called out for their privilege, led the city to pass an ordinance banning protesters from blocking city streets and sidewalks. If they did, they would be arrested.
But on Saturday, no arrests were made. The Times Union could not reach Commissioner Dalton on Sunday to ask about the city's handling of the protest.
Skidmore's president emphasized Black Lives Matter is a “fundamental principle” and is calling for a dialogue to propel racial justice forward.
“Our ongoing efforts to foster communication, dialogue and trust, and our commitment to our Racial Justice Initiative and its focus on making real, institutional change, are not only demonstrations of that commitment but a path to real and demonstrable results,” Conner wrote.
He also said that the impending election of former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris will help the county reconcile.
“I am heartened by the many expressions of celebration, unity and reconciliation we saw throughout the country ... and I believe Skidmore will continue to grow as a place of welcome and home for all our students,” Conner wrote.
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November 09, 2020 at 02:46AM
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Skidmore president seeks to protect students during 7-hour BLM protest - Times Union
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