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UPDATE | After peaceful Youngstown march, skirmishes break out, rumors abound

By Mahoning Matters staff
Hundreds gathered in front of the First Presbyterian Church in downtown Youngstown on Sunday, March 31, 2020 to march silently to the Mahoning County Court House in protest of the murder of George Floyd, a black man, by police in Minneapolis last week. (Bob Yosay/Mahoning Matters)
Hundreds gathered in front of the First Presbyterian Church in downtown Youngstown on Sunday, March 31, 2020 to march silently to the Mahoning County Court House in protest of the murder of George Floyd, a black man, by police in Minneapolis last week. (Bob Yosay/Mahoning Matters)

YOUNGSTOWN — After hundreds gathered in front of the First Presbyterian Church downtown Sunday to march silently to the Mahoning County Courthouse in protest of the death of George Floyd, the Valley saw skirmishes and unfounded rumors of rioting.

This morning's peaceful protest turned confrontational at points Sunday afternoon. WKBN reported that protesters vandalized a police car and broke windows at Choffin Career and Technical Center.

The Walmart stores in Boardman and Liberty closed early out of caution after national incidents in recent days and some rioting in Columbus and Cleveland.

After news of some violence downtown, rumors swirled on Facebook about protests in Boardman. Mahoning Matters toured the Boardman retail district along state Route 224 at about 5 p.m. and found, aside from retailers closing early and an increased police presence in shopping centers, all was relatively quiet.

At Dick's Sporting Goods, workers could be seen reinforcing windows at the entrance with plywood.

Boardman Police Chief Todd Werth told Mahoning Matters he advised some township stores to also close early. As of 4:30 p.m. there have been no issues in the township, he said.

The U.S. has seen protests across the country after Floyd, a black man, died in the custody of Minneapolis police last Monday.

Derek Chauvin, a 19-year veteran with the police department, has been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter after a video showed him with a knee on Floyd's neck for almost nine minutes. Chauvin was fired, and arrested Friday.

Those protests intensified this weekend as multiple cities erupted in chaos, looting and violence.

The Youngstown peace march was sponsored by Mahoning Valley Sojourn to the Past and organized by Sonya Lenoir, the 2018-19 class president of Youngstown Rayen Early College High School and a sophomore at Hundreds of the Ohio State University.

It culminated in speeches by local officials on the steps of the courthouse.

NEW DEVELOPMENTS

• St. Elizabeth hospitals in Youngstown and Boardman have been closed off as a precautionary measure, Mercy Health spokesman Jonathon Fauvie said. Both hospitals will continue to accept emergency patients through their emergency room entrances, but all other entrances are closed, he said.

• Campbell Mayor Nick Phillips instituted a curfew for the city, starting at 9 p.m., according to Phillips' Facebook post. "This is about keeping paid anarchists out," Phillips wrote. He said he was informed that paid protesters are to blame for the violence downtown. Youngstown and Struthers have also instituted curfews.

• #WeMatter protest is slated for 6 p.m. Monday at Warren's Perkins Park along Mahoning Avenue Northwest, according to a graphic circulating Sunday on Twitter.

See the signs at the march ...

And other scenes from the march ...

This story was originally published May 31, 2020 at 6:05 PM with the headline "UPDATE | After peaceful Youngstown march, skirmishes break out, rumors abound."