A group of 75 peaceful protestors gathered at Tamaqua Depot Square Park at 2:15 p.m. Sunday in support of Black Lives Matter.

The group rallied with signs and listened to comments from various members of the public, among them police Chief Henry Woods.

The event was organized by resident Andrew Masscotte, who used social media to put together the forum in less than two weeks.

Masscotte used Facebook posts to explain that he feels this movement impacts everyone.

“This movement the whole world is in right now is bigger than just George Floyd. And myself and other people would like to let everyone know that we are listening and we hear them and we support them. We don’t have to worry about getting shot or killed because of our skin color in this area so it’s hard for many to understand ... this is a whole movement to have a system that is unfair in many places change and notice. The fact that racism is even still an issue in 2020 baffles me, but it is.”

Penny Gursky said she moved to the community 25 years ago and is interracially married. Race discussions, she said, wouldn’t have taken place back then in the same manner as today.

“Everyone here should be proud of themselves ... we are making a statement about our town and it can do something.”

Woods said local police officers were impacted by the death of George Floyd the same way as all other members of the community.

Woods spoke of the importance of bonds, such as a strong relationship between law enforcement and the community it serves.

“We’re all equal,” he said. “We support each other and we live together.”

All attendees wore face masks and most adhered to social distancing guidelines.

A similar-sized peaceful protest took place in Pottsville on May 31, drawing 75.