More than 600 people protested in Danbury Wednesday over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis.

News 12 crews saw people of different ages and ethnicities, as well as some parents who brought their children as a teachable moment to show they can be part of the change.

Christine and Konrad Miller brought their two sons, including 9-year-old Kenneth. He and his friend held a sign that says "we deserve better."

"He needs to know not only, you know, what is happening in the world, but that he is one of the people that's going to change this," Christine says.

Protesters chanted "no justice, no peace" and "black lives matter" as they marched from the library to City Hall. Police also reported that exits 4 and 5 on I-84 in Danbury were closed due to protesters, but have since reopened.

 

 

At City Hall, the crowd listened as several speakers demanded change, conveying their fear and anguish over being a black person in America today.

"It's really just to awaken our community, get the conversation started and kind of kick-start our movement," says Serenity Schreiber, one of the organizers.

The group then walked to the police department and circled the station, before looping back to the library.

The protest remained peaceful throughout, though it was marked with moments of anger as activists condemned racism and police brutality, and asked what officials here are doing to help.

Danbury's protest followed others across southwestern Connecticut. Over the past several days, there have been similar calls for justice in municipalities including Stamford, Norwalk, Fairfield, Westport and Greenwich.

Organizers say they hope this effort is just the beginning, and that it spurs future activism - including at the voting booth.