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A Back the Blue demonstration in downtown Sayville at noon this Saturday is expected to draw members of law enforcement agencies from across Long Island, as well as community members and supporters of police organizations.
Back the Blue is a campaign focused on building community support for police officers, organizers say. Organizers of the Sayville event are encouraging community members to attend and “show support and solidarity with law enforcement in these challenging times.”
Other Back the Blue rallies held across the U.S. this month — including one in Nassau County’s Eisenhower Park last week — have been in response to the Black Lives Matter movement’s widespread protests against racially motivated violence against African Americans and police brutality.
Sayville has hosted an annual march supporting police for five years.
In June, thousands of protesters attended a peaceful Black Lives Matter rally in Sayville, gathering in The Common Ground near downtown Sayville before marching to Sayville Marina Beach Park.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Back the Blue event in Sayville:
Time and place: Participants should gather by noon on Saturday at the Suffolk County Police Sgt. Timothy J. Henck Memorial, located just south of the Sayville train station. Henck was a 1982 graduate of Sayville High School who was killed in the line of duty. Aug. 6 is the 25th anniversary of the day he died when a robbery suspect rammed Henck’s police vehicle. His widow, Kathy, is expected to be in attendance.
What happens at noon? Community and law enforcement leaders will speak to the crowd before the march begins at 12:15 p.m.
Face coverings? For those who do not have face coverings, they will be provided at the event for free.
March route: The march will head east on Depot Street and turn south on Rail Road Avenue before heading west on Main Street. It will then travel north on Greeley Avenue and east on Depot Street, ending back at the Suffolk County Police Sgt. Timothy J. Henck Memorial.
Rain Date: There is one. It’s the next day — Sunday Aug. 2.
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