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Local protest held over George Floyd’s death

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Honking, waving and diesel exhaust greeted the protesters who stood along Jefferson Street in the King Cash Saver parking lot Saturday afternoon. Samuel Carrillo said he was the chief organizer of the local protest over the May 25 death of George Floyd while being restrained by Minnesota police officers. Floyd’s death in Minneapolis was captured on video, spurring on protests across the nation. There also have been multiple riots, including in Missouri, where Gov. Mike Parson declared a state of emergency on Saturday. One officer involved in the incident, Derek Chauvin, has subsequently been arrested and charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Three others have been fired but not criminally charged. Carrillo arrived for the local Saturday protest at about 1 p.m. The protest continued until after 9 p.m. The protesters got their message across to motorists with signs and chanting “What did he say? I can’t breathe.” Carrillo used social media to encourage others to join him in a peaceful protest. “I felt like we needed to do something to show our support and just kind of threw the word out on Facebook, and this (group) is what showed up,” Carrillo said. For more on this story see Wednesday's LCR.