Peaceful Protest At Henry Law Park In Dover Tonight

Like many of you, I watched the news for hours on end this weekend and was heartbroken by most of it.  What were supposed to be peaceful protests devolved into looting, property damage and violence.

Throughout the weekend though, we saw the humanity shining through.  One example was Genessee County Sheriff Chris Swanson from Michigan turning the "protest into a parade".  Check out what he had to say:

Residents in Dover are hoping to have that same kind of experience with a candlelight vigil in Henry Law Park tonight at 8pm.

On the (Un)official City of Dover Facebook page, members of the community are asking people to come out for a candle light vigil.

According to the Facebook event page, the president of the NAACP, Rogers Johnson, will be speaking to the crowd.   The event listing says:

"This has been a continuous stream of events happening for decades. We are holding a VIGIL in honor of not only the six innocent lives, but many others whose names are not known to the public."

Event organizers are asking the public to respect Covid-19 guidelines and remain six feet apart and wear a mask.  They are hoping that this vigil is a way to "stop the violence of police brutality against innocent Black lives in downtown Dover".

The vigil was organized by Project Dream which is a student run organization at Dover High School. Their mission is for there to be inclusion and equality for all.

Lieutenant Brant Dolleman of the  Dover Police Department said they are aware of the vigil and have a plan in place to keep everyone safe.  Police officers will be at the park,  as well as the Chief of Police who will be available to talk to community members.

**update ...see below for a statement from the Dover Police Chief.