Peaceful protest in North Platte

NORTH PLATTE - A group of concerned citizens stood at the corner of 4th and Jeffers to peacefully protest for the 'Black Lives Matter' movement.

Devin Grandberry organized the event. He said it was the death of George Floyd which motivated him to stand up.

"Really, it is the straw that broke the camel's back. It's like we turn our cheeks, suck it up and deal with it. But, It kind of got to the point where we watched this and it wasn't a quick shooting or anything like that. This man died slowly. He cried out for his mom and it was crazy to watch that," said Grandberry.

North Platte Police Chief Daniel Hudson saw a post on Facebook advertising the protest and reached out to Grandberry.

"We in law enforcement, we're here to support their first amendment right to gather, freedom of speech and stuff like that," said Hudson. "We explained that I don't think you'll find a law enforcement officer across the country that isn't appalled at the images coming out of Minneapolis the other night."

Hudson explained his frustrations about what transpired in Minnesota.

"Nobody hates a bad cop more than a good cop. We spend so much time and effort trying to build relationships, trying to build trust and come to an understanding and then one incident wipes it all out," Hudson said.

Grandberry said he is grateful for the support of law enforcement and everyone else who showed up.

"It honestly surprised me at first," said Grandberry. "I was planning on standing out here by myself. It does feel good and it's nice to know that we do have that support."

Even though the focus is on black lives, Grandberry explains that his intention isn't to diminish the worth of other lives.

"My sign says 'Black Lives Matter' and that's not to say all lives don't matter. It's obvious that all lives do matter," he said.