TORRINGTON – Torrington High School senior Elyssa Cummings stood on a table, holding a sign that read “60 years ago, MLK had a dream… make it a reality” as she addressed a crowd of roughly 100 neighbors, classmates and fellow protestors on Friday.
Cummings told the group, “if you’re here to hurt people, please don’t walk with us.”
Close by, Bailey Walker, a 2019 THS graduate, stood with a sign reading “Silence is deadly” tucked under her arm.
The two women exchanged text messages a few nights earlier, troubled by instances of racism and police brutality that have led to protests throughout all 50 states this past week. Rather than attend one of the larger protests happening approximately 100 miles away in Cheyenne or Laramie, they decided to organize one in their hometown.
A Snapchat post was reposted and spread across social media platforms that resulted in a sizable crowd gathered at the corner of Main Street and U.S. Hwy 26 on Friday morning to march to the Goshen County Courthouse and the Torrington Police Department.
“Both of our hearts have been so heavy with what’s been going on around our country right now and we wanted to do something,” Cummings said. “We were like ‘wait, why don’t we just do it here in Torrington? Torrington needs change just like everywhere else.”
According to the United States Census Bureau, more than 93% of Torrington’s population identifies as white, and under one percent identifies as Black or African American.
Cummings’ mother, Judy, walked with the crowd, proud of her daughter who graduates on Saturday, for bringing the issue to the attention of their community.
“Small town Torrington can be a change if we decide to make it that way,” Judy Cummings said.
Among the protestors was Deveron Molden, a Black preschool teacher, who carried a sign reading “I cherish and teach your kids, so love and protect mine.”
Molden, who has lived in Torrington for nine years, said he and his children have experienced racism in the majority-white community, so he was surprised but happy to hear of a protest locally.
“I see all the good people here, it filled my heart up really quickly,” Molden said. “I hope it changes the way the police have been approaching me and a few other minorities I know.”
Protestors walking behind Molden could see the words “I can’t breathe” shaved into his head to pay homage to George Floyd, a Black man killed by police in Minneapolis on May 25.
Torrington Police were present throughout the protest, blocking traffic as the crowd crossed streets. One Torrington officer joined the circle of protestors as they knelt at the courthouse for eight minutes, the same amount of time a police officer knelt on Floyd’s neck before he died.
Assisted by a walker, Torrington resident Marci Shaver also knelt with protestors at the courthouse. When she was notified about the protest the previous night, she said she knew she had to be there. She recalled being in California in 1992 when police officers were acquitted of charges after beating a Black man named Rodney King, leading to riots and unrest in Los Angeles.
“This is an issue that’s been important to me for a long time,” Shaver said. “It’s exciting to see that it’s the kids of the community that organized this.”
Following eight minutes of kneeling, the protestors made their way to the police department where they stopped to chant, “no justice, no peace.”
Walking back down Main Street, the phrase “Black Lives Matter” echoed off of buildings as business owners and customers watched from storefronts before protestors took a knee once more at the march’s starting place.
Holding one half of a banner reading “Black Lives Matter,” Torrington resident Colby Ochsner led the group in singing “We Shall Overcome,” a popular protest song and staple of the Civil Rights Movement.
Oschner said he hopes residents who chose to watch from storefronts or cars instead of joining the protest noticed the number of people present.
“People need to stop being ok with casual racism, you need to speak up when you know morally in your heart that things do not feel right,” Oschner said. “It matters to me, Black lives matter to me, and obviously, they matter to a lot of people around Goshen County.”
Though powerful, a protest cannot be the end of activism, according to Oschner.
“The next step is for the young people to get out and vote and petition their local government, go to meetings and speak their voice,” Oschner said.
Before dispersing, protestors sang one more song: “Happy Birthday,” in honor of Breonna Taylor, a Black woman shot and killed in her home by police officers in Louisville on March 13. June 5 marked what would’ve been her 27th birthday.
Walker and Cummings said they were moved, at some moments to tears, and “pleasantly surprised” by the community’s response to their protest, as the response on social media had not been all positive.
“We both felt we needed to make sure everyone in this community feels heard and loved,” Walker said. “I’m very proud of everyone who showed up.”
When asked why she decided to attend the protest, Judith Maier of Torrington referenced one of the many posters raised above the heads of the crowd, saying “doing nothing is complacency.”
