Fox Park Crowd Seeks Racism’s End

WILDWOOD – A large crowd gathered in Fox Park June 5, for an NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) rally, held to call for an end to racism and police brutality. The peaceful protest was part of a national movement that has come after George Floyd, a black man accused of using a fake $20 bill and resisting arrest, was killed while in the custody of Derek Chauvin, a white, former Minneapolis police officer. 
The event was held without disruption. Several speakers addressed the crowd from a stage and eventually turned the microphone over to anyone who wished to speak.
“There wasn’t anything negative whatsoever. The only negative about it is the reason that we had to have it. The event itself was fabulous,” said Wildwood Mayor Peter Byron, who is a member of the NAACP. 
Several protestors shared their message as the crowd cheered them on. 
“When you had the open mic and people were coming from the audience, you had every nationality, age. The one little girl couldn’t have been more than about five,” Byron said.
“That’s where the emotions really kick in, and you’ve got to have a love for our community when you see the way it rallies around a situation like this. These were people speaking from the heart. Nothing was scripted. They weren’t going to gain anything from it, but they had the courage to walk on stage and grab that microphone and say what they felt. That’s what I took out of it – how strong this is emotionally,” the mayor continued. 
One message, said by a young girl, perhaps best summarized speakers’ sentiments. “You should never treat people differently because of the color of their skin,” she said. 
Police at the rally stood to the side and did not intrude. Wildwood Police Chief Robert Regalbuto addressed the crowd and shared his disgust with the video of Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck while he laid face down in the street, handcuffed. 
“You always have to be prepared for the worst. We weren’t concerned about the worst coming from the organizers. What you’re concerned about is outside people coming in and crashing the party. That’s where most of the issues start,” Byron said. 
The officers did not wear any riot gear, and there were no confrontations with protestors. 
Bob Jackson, former West Cape May mayor, sees accountability and transparency as important tenants to restore trust in police. 
“We all have a right to have the police protect all of us, and for a minority and a person of color, that’s not happening,” said Jackson, who’s running for Middle Township Committee. 
Jackson attended the Wildwood rally, as well as others in Middle Township and Cape May. He said he supports police, but powerful unions make it hard to remove bad officers. Jackson said new officers need to be vetted more thoroughly, and laws need to be changed to prevent the protection flawed cops receive.
“I think most police officers are good guys. They have to deal with the serious endemic knuckleheads within their ranks,” said Jackson. 
Police at the rally attempted to bridge the communication gap, shaking hands with protestors and talking with them. They hope that some of the benefits from these protests is people getting to know their local police and the police getting to know the people who live in the communities they patrol. 
“I think the Wildwood community did themselves proud today,” said Byron. “Wildwood is a culturally diverse community, and we don’t want anyone to feel like an outsider.”
To contact Shay Roddy, email sroddy@cmcherald.com.