Help was on hand for protesters attending the Rockford Youth Activism rally in Haskell Park Tuesday. In the 90 degree heat, volunteers on bicycles were ready with first-aid kits and handed out water and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
The group billed its event as a "March Against RPD Violence." That was in response to protests that turned violent in Rockford Saturday night, when protesters marched to the Rockford District 1 police station. Someone broke a window and Rockford police officers in riot gear surrounded the building.
On Tuesday, rumors of outsiders stepping in to cause trouble at the rally didn't stop several hundred people from showing up at Haskell Park. Organizers urged protesters not to take to the streets, but some marched anyway.
In DeKalb, protesters gathered for a fourth day, joined by police officers. Some splintered from the original group, which marched near the DeKalb police station, and moved to Sycamore Rd., a busy stretch of businesses between DeKalb and Sycamore. They slowed traffic for a while late Tuesday afternoon, all under police escort. They've planned another protest for Wednesday, this time in front of the county courthouse in Sycamore.
Anti-police violence protests continue across the nation, sparked by the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.