George Floyd

Riverhead resident Cynthia Lister Braunskill, a mother of nine, wants police to know what it’s like “to raise a black man in America.” She organized a rally Saturday to start a dialogue.

The chants of protesters filled the air on Route 58 in Riverhead yesterday, where more than 100 people lined the sidewalks just west of the traffic circle for a marathon demonstration against racism and police brutality in the United States.

Following the governor's signing of the 'Say Their Names' reform agenda, Riverhead Supervisor Yvette Aguiar said, “We need to open lines of communication across the nation." A group is already forming in Riverhead to discuss issues of racial equality and justice the supervisor said.

A Riverhead couple is organizing a protest against police brutality in the United States, to take place Saturday from noon to 8 p.m. at the Route 58 traffic circle.

“You take this job and you want to be Superman,” Riverhead Police Chief David Hegermiller said in an interview today. “You become a cop because you want to help people, you want to protect them, you want to serve your community.”