Pine Plains rallies for racial justice at non-partisan gathering

PINE PLAINS — Inspired to take a stand as a community in the fight against injustice, Pine Plains residents joined together with their local civic leaders and clergy in solidarity for racial justice at a non-partisan gathering held behind the town’s clock tower on Route 82 on Sunday, June 14.

Donning face masks and adhering to the state’s rules of social distancing in the days of the coronavirus pandemic, attendees began heading in the direction of the clock tower in the late afternoon, uniting as a community while keeping a distance from one another. Along with a strong community spirit and a will to bring about change in their world, many came to the gathering with signs in hand, adding volume to their call for change.

“It’s obviously a long time coming,” said area resident Julia Conyers.

“And absolutely necessary,” added area resident Alaina Harvey. “On a positive note, it has been nice to see people come together in all this.”

By the time the clock tower chimed 4 p.m., announcing the rally’s official start, there was a massive crowd in attendance, totaling nearly 225 people. Praising her town’s efforts in coming together to support the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, Pine Plains resident Gwen Breen said, “I’m so proud of us — there are a lot of people who care about human dignity.”

Presenting himself as the gathering’s first speaker, Jim Petrie from the Pine Plains Democratic Committee launched the gathering by thanking everyone for showing their support as a community. 

“These are historic times and we’re at the tipping point,” Petrie said as he attributed systematic racism to creating a system in which tragedies like the death of Minneapolis Black man George Floyd frequently happen at the hands of White police officers.

“It’s time to think about what we can do individually, in a community and in our workplace to stop systematic racism,” he said.

Speaking from his observations from the last few weeks, Pastor Ryan Larkin from the First United Presbyterian Church of Pine Plains shared how he’s been shocked by Floyd’s death as well as by how much he didn’t know about the issue of racism in this country. Having been fortunate enough to have access to “great” teachers to guide his understanding, Larkin offered a personal apology for being behind on his knowledge and a promise to do better, both on an individual level and as a congregation. 

“This is humanity and this is a path available to us all, and I hope you will choose it,” Larkin said as he led the gathering in a prayer for courage “to step up when and how we are needed.”

“Too often the pursuit of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is cut short,” said Dutchess County Legislator Gregg Pulver (R-19) as he cited centuries of inequality across the country.

Refusing to believe that people are born with hate in their hearts, Pulver declared, “Hate has no place in this heart, no place in this town, no place in this country, no place in this world… What we must embark on is the mission of teaching love.”

Unlike 50 years ago, Pulver reminded his audience that everyone now has their own microphone, which has allowed people to gather together in a coalition like never before, and he encouraged everyone to harness that energy for the good of society.

“We can accept today, but we cannot and will not accept tomorrow,” he said before announcing that, in conjunction with the county and Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office personnel, he and Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro aspire to review every single policy of every single police department in Dutchess County, starting Monday, June 15. 

Governor Andrew Cuomo has already called for all police departments in New York state to be reviewed and reformed by April 1, 2021 — or risk the loss of state funding.

Following up with Pulver’s announcement, Pine Plains town Supervisor Darrah Cloud took a moment to thank the Pine Plains Police Department for its work in serving the community and treating everyone equally while doing so.

“We are blessed because we can say to them, ‘You have to treat everyone equally,’ and they are happy to,” Cloud said.

Tracing his Pine Plains roots over several years, town resident and former coach Jim Jackson, who is African American, talked about his family’s history in Pine Plains as well as his own. As he shared stories of the people who left an impression on him over the years, he recounted the history of individuals who have stepped forward to stand in solidarity and protest inequality.

“It takes courage and persistence to stand up for human rights and dignity,” Jackson said.

Acknowledging that many of the people in attendance who have watched the video depicting “the callous murder of George Floyd,” Jackson observed how more and more people are coming together to stand up against racism. Urging his community to keep the conversation about racism going with openness, honesty and courage, he reminded his audience that “true progress begins with us.” 

 Keeping in the spirit of peace and justice for all people, Father Steve Schunk from the Church of the Regeneration offered two prayers to advocate for honoring and celebrating diversity.

“As we go out today and in the world, let us remember life is short,” Schunk said, “…so be swift to love and make haste to be kind.”

As a parting message to his community, Petrie brought out his guitar and led the gathering in singing “Amazing Grace,” and a gentle harmony arose over the crowd, broken only by applause at the very end. Following the gathering, attendees were invited to stick around and spend some time together, an invitation many were more than happy to seize after months of quarantine. Others decided to stand alone along the town sidewalks, signs in hand, to continue the call for justice.

From left, Shane Lischin and Anya Sheckley celebrated the Black Lives Matter movement at Saturday’s rally. Photo by Kaitlin Lyle

Pine Plains resident Patrick MacMurray and his dog, Buffy, showed their support for the fight against injustice with many others from their community. Photo by Kaitlin Lyle

From left, Pine Plains residents Jim Jackson and Jim Petrie were among many speakers to give a voice to racial justice during a town rally on Sunday afternoon, June 14. Photo by Kaitlin Lyle

From left, Shane Lischin and Anya Sheckley celebrated the Black Lives Matter movement at Saturday’s rally. Photo by Kaitlin Lyle