Over a hundred people gathered at the Sylvia Schraff Amphitheater at Canal Basin Park in Hollidaysburg on Sunday to listen to speakers from the community even after organizers postponed the event. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

HOLLIDAYSBURG — Protestors gathered nationwide in the wake of George Floyd’s death, and Blair County was no exception.

Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was killed by white Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on Memorial Day.

Chauvin, who kneeled on Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes, was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter four days after Floyd’s death. Three other officers who were present for the incident were fired but are not in custody.

Blair County NAACP President Don Witherspoon said Sunday he thinks things will change in Minneapolis if those arrests are made and “will soften the blow.”

There were mixed messages about the local vigil.

A Facebook event titled “Justice Vigil for George Floyd” was planned by the Altoona contingent of Put People First — PA, and scheduled to take place at 6 p.m. Sunday at Canal Basin Park & Visitors Center.

At about 5 p.m., organizers updated the event page, saying it would be postponed and “joined” with another event, slated for Saturday. The group Indivisible Blair County articulated similar information, but was not involved in the original event’s planning.

“We have received both an outpouring of support, but also some people unfortunately expressing an intention to disrupt this vigil and go against the principles of nonviolence,” the updated event description from Put People First said. “We are taking this measure in order to be more prepared for a completely non-violent action and to make a stronger show of unity.”

A protestor who said he was part of planning an event for Saturday — unrelated to the “Justice Vigil for George Floyd” event — cited a large police presence and potential counter-protesters as reasons for postponing Sunday’s event and merging it with one now being planned for this Saturday.

He said doing so will create a more unified protest.

Still, more than 100 people gathered at the park, holding homemade signs and participating in “Black Lives Matter” chants.

Individuals were invited to get up on stage and speak about their own experiences with racism.

Police cruisers and EMS were staged a few blocks away from the protest.

According to police scanner reports, a handful of armed people stood along Bedford Street in Hollidaysburg, briefly standing in the middle of the road, but were “not engaging” with any protestors.

Police on scene said they were aware of the situation, but not taking action because the armed individuals remained on the sidewalk and were not blocking traffic.

Prior to the originally scheduled event, Witherspoon said the Blair County NAACP supports a “peaceful demonstration.”

“We want all people to come together,” Witherspoon said. “The whole country is divided right now. We have our issues in Blair County as well. It seems like it’s gotten a little better, but we still have a long way to go.”