A group of approximately 25 Marist students joined Poughkeepsie residents in Mansion Square Park to protest racial injustice on Saturday, Sept. 26. The protesters then took to the streets and met significant police presence as they made their way down Main Street and to the Walkway Over the Hudson.

Marist students gathered on the campus green at noon under the direction of a newly-formed organization called Students Revolt at Marist, led by sophomore students Shea Shapiro-Barnum, Jahira Magnus and Deshunae Davis.

“We are a student run organization who is not affiliated with Marist,” Shapiro-Barnum said. “We want to address racial inequality on Marist’s campus and make our voices heard in the streets of Poughkeepsie with other organizers, along with our brothers and sisters who are fighting against racial inequality nationwide.”

The students carried signs and marched through the streets of Poughkeepsie to Mansion Square Park chanting for justice, racial equality and peace.

“We are here today to fight for Breonna Taylor because she didn’t get justice,” Shapiro-Barnum said. “Keep your masks on and social distance the best you can. The goal is to make some noise.”

After arriving, the students met with a group in Poughkeepsie called We Can't Breathe who organized and led the Stop The Violence We Can't Breathe protest in June.

“This is not about violence or destruction, it is about recognition to our cause about being suppressed and brutality disrespected in our homes, in our communities and in our schools,” We Can’t Breathe organizer Joseph Stratford said.

In addition to the organizations and community members, local politicians attended the event at Mansion Square Park. Laurette Giardino, who is running for New York State Assembly in the 105th District, was present as well as the County Legislator of District 1, Giancarlo Llaverias.

“A 15-year-old got shot in the back of the head, and that's nothing new,” Llaverias said, referencing the fatal shooting of a Poughkeepsie High School student on Sept. 21. The suspect is still at large.

“It should not be normalized. Until the good cops start talking about the bad cops, there will never be reconciliation. That’s why it’s so important for us to know who our city council members are, to know who our county legislators are so that when it comes time to vote and they aren’t doing what we need them to do, we can vote them out.”

Before making it to the Walkway Over the Hudson, the protesters stopped in front of Angie's Beauty Salon on Main Street in Poughkeepsie. That corner intersection is where 15-year-old Jalani Jones was shot in the head. The organizers said a few words and the protesters took a moment of silence for the loss of the young boy's life.

After, the protesters continued down Main Street until they reached Market Street which were both blocked off from traffic by police. On Market Street, one organizer, Robert Pemberton, spoke about the history of Market Street and the slave trade that once occured there. The protest continued down Market Street and chants for justice grew louder as the protesters passed the Dutchess County Courthouse.

“When we talk about police, I’m no longer talking about police reform; I’m talking about police reconstruction,” Llaverias said. “The dismantling of police, which doesn’t necessarily mean the abolishing of police, but it means the police have to recognize the bad things they have done to our community.”

When marching across the Walkway Over the Hudson, protesters were surrounded by state police off of the sides of the bridge who were in cars, motorcycles, and boats in the water below. After walking the bridge, protesters marched back to Mansion Square Park, passing the county jail on the way. Continuing calls for justice, the protesters called out, “no justice, no peace” and “stop the violence, stop the hate.”

After closing statements at the park, the Marist students walked a mile back to campus, returning around 5:30 p.m. after a full afternoon of protesting alongside Poughkeepsie community members.

Students Join Poughkeepsie Residents for Racial Justice March

MARIST CIRCLE