Dartmouth residents were among the dozens of protesters who took to the streets of New Bedford over the weekend to demonstrate against police brutality.

On Sunday afternoon, protesters marched and chanted for justice and equality following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25.

Floyd, a black man, died after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee onto Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes.

On Sunday, crowds gathered in Buttonwood Park, swelling to over 100 protesters through the evening.

“People just kept on coming,” protest organizer Christian Romero said. “But that’s New Bedford— this city was built on fighting for the rights of the people.”

The diverse, mostly young crowd — which included many Dartmouth residents — carried placards, knelt, and chanted “I can’t breathe,” a phrase that George Floyd said as he died. 

Many motorists honked their support, with some waving their arms and cheering on the protesters. 

Dartmouth resident Beth Macomber said she joined the protest at first to distribute water bottles.

“Things have been this way for such a long time,” Macomber said. “The only reason we see more of it is because we have social media.”

At one point New Bedford Police began safely escorting protesters through the streets. But for some, it was not enough.

“If they really supported us, they’d be marching,” Macomber said.

But unlike the violent demonstrations raging in many major U.S. cities over the past few days, South Coast activists kept it civil.

Some people interacted with cars on the street — including police vehicles that kept watch over the march. During those moments, the crowd helped rein it in and keep the peace.

“I don’t agree with any of the escalation, but these protestors have the right to do that,” Romero said. “I’m just glad things were able to remain relatively peaceful.”

Ann O’Leary, a librarian at Bishop Stang, said she was “just appalled by what happened in Minneapolis” and saw the protest as an extension of the school’s work.

For protester Caroline Burke of New Bedford, this was a very personal experience. She said that nine years ago, she was pulled over by police and tried to get her wheelchair out, only to get pulled out of her car by police.

Now healed, Burke was marching with a walker. “I certainly won’t regret it, but I’ll certainly feel it,” she joked. 

“Don’t get me wrong, I love the police, but I just want to see a world where they all work with the community,” she added. “If you don’t care about the community, then how can you serve?”