Voices raised, hands held out at protests

Protests were held around the Tri-state region last week. They were for the most part well-attended and peaceful. 

Black Lives Matter was the theme for all the protests. Read about the New York state gatherings in The Millerton News and online.

The protest in Millerton was held on Wednesday, June 3, and was organized by students from Webutuck High School in Amenia and Housatonic Valley Regional High School in Falls Village.

On Sunday, June 7, at noon, a protest at the intersection of routes 4 and 7 in Cornwall Bridge drew a crowd that was estimated at 500 people. 

People of all ages, from very young to very senior, stood on the grassy triangle brandishing signs. There was a benign police presence of two cars with State Police troopers. The Connecticut State Police have spoken out against the Minnesota police officers who killed George Floyd, which has set off protests around the world. 

The Cornwall Bridge protest was organized by Caroline Kosciusko with support from Clara Kraebber and Sabina and Camilla Busby and their families.

Kosciusko offered a web link with resources for anyone wishing to take action, at www.tinyurl.com/yd8qx98x.

Later that day, there was a candlelight vigil in Kent at Golden Falcon Field in the center of town, organized by Estelle Fritsch-Trabucco.

A large and peaceful crowd, with everyone wearing masks and carrying a candle, formed at 8:45 p.m. After a brief welcome, everyone joined in on the singing of John Lennon’s “Imagine.”

That was followed by 8 minutes and 46 seconds of silence — the duration of time that George Floyd was held down by a Minneapolis policeman, who has been charged with Floyd’s murder. 

A rendition of taps closed the vigil and the crowd quietly dispersed.

 

Contributors to this story included Kaitlin Lyle and Lans Christensen.

Photo by Tom Brown

Photo by Lazlo Gyorsok

Photo by Dave Cadwell

Photo by Lazlo Gyorsok

Photo by Tom Brown

State Rep. Maria Horn (D-64), at left in photo above, spoke at the rally in Cornwall Bridge on Sunday afternoon. One person attending the rally estimated that 500 people took part, holding signs and waving to vehicles as they passed by at the busy intersection of routes 4 and 7. Photo by Lazlo Gyorsok

In Kent on Sunday night, peaceful marchers brought candles and sang  songs,including “Imagine” by John Lennon, during a candlelight vigil calling for more humanity and less brutality from police. The Kent vigil was one of many held not only in the Tri-state area but also all over the world. The protests were sparked by the murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis, Minn. Photo by Lans Christensen

Photo by Lans Christensen

Photo by Lans Christensen

In addition to the protests in Kent and Cornwall Bridge over the weekend, crowds gathered in Millerton to support Black Lives Matter, with some signs calling for a reallocation of police funding. Photo by Ben Willis

Photo by Ben Willis

Photo by Tom Brown

Latest News

Tuning up two passions under one roof

The Webb Family in the workshop. From left: Phyllis, Dale, Ben and Josh Webb, and project manager Hannah Schiffer.

Natalia Zukerman

Magic Fluke Ukulele Shop and True Wheels Bicycle Shop are not only under the same roof in a beautiful solar powered building on Route 7 in Sheffield, but they are also both run by the Webb family, telling a tale of familial passion, innovation and a steadfast commitment to sustainability.

In the late ‘90s, Dale Webb was working in engineering and product design at a corporate job. “I took up instrument manufacturing as a fun challenge,” said Dale. After an exhibit at The National Association of Music Merchants in Anaheim, California, in 1999, The Magic Fluke company was born. “We were casting finger boards and gluing these things together in our basement in New Hartford and it just took off,” Dale explained. “It was really a wild ride, it kind of had a life of its own.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Robert Cray’s soulful blues coming to Infinity Hall

Robert Cray

Photo provided

Blues legend Robert Cray will be bringing his stinging, funky guitar and soulful singing to Infinity Hall Norfolk on Friday, March 29.

A five-time Grammy winner, Cray has been inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame and earned The Americana Music Awards Lifetime Achievement for Performance. He has played with blues and rock icons including Albert Collins, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, The Rolling Stones, Tina Turner, Eric Clapton and many more.

Keep ReadingShow less