In a scene being repeated in towns and cities across America, a large crowd of people converged on the front lawn of the Lawrence H. Cooke Sullivan County Courthouse in Monticello on Sunday afternoon to protest the killing of George Floyd and a culture of police brutality they believe lead to his death.

Floyd was killed on May 25 in downtown Minneapolis. A video that has since spread around the world shows Floyd handcuffed and lying on the ground while former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin kneels on his neck for several minutes. Floyd could be heard telling the officer he can't breathe.

Chauvin was arrested a few days later and charged with third degree murder. Chauvin and three other officers involved in the incident have since been fired.

While protests have erupted across the country, with some turning violent and descending into looting, the demonstration in Monticello was entirely peaceful. A diverse crowd filled with people of all ages and ethnicities carried signs conveying messages such as ‘Black Lives Matter,' ‘I Can't Breathe' and ‘Justice for George Floyd.'

Nearly everyone in the crowd wore a facemask, but the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic did not stop them from showing up to express their pain and outrage over the death of Floyd and other instances of unarmed black men being killed by police.

Cristal Staten, a Monticello native and one of the protest organizers, stood on the steps of the courthouse and projected her voice out into the crowd.

“We're getting our message heard. We're getting our message out there that this cycle needs to stop,” said Staten. “I went to New Paltz to protest and I was so astonished by the amount of the white community there in support. It warmed my heart to know that we're reaching people.

“All black men are not criminals. All black men are not inherently evil. This is not anti-cop, this is anti-racism. It's not us against police, it's us against racists in police uniforms,” said Staten, who is the daughter of an NYPD officer. “People love to talk bad about Monticello but look at this. Look at this turnout and look at the diversity in this crowd. This is not just a black fight and you all are proving that.”