Credit Andrew Jameson / bit.ly/1xMszCg
The summer of 2020 was marked by protests for racial justice following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers.
Residents of Chelsea, a small town of around 5,000 people, 95% of whom are white, made their voices heard with marches and protests of their own. The Chelsea Police Department issued at least 18 tickets to those protesters for blocking the road.
Last night, Chelsea City Council recommended that Police Chief Ed Toth drop the charges against the protestors.
The majority of Chelsea residents who spoke during the public comment portion were in favor of dropping the charges. Among those who spoke were parents of kids involved in Anti-Racist Chelsea Youth, or ARCY. Many of those members organized the protests and speeches, and were subsequently issued tickets.