WOOSTER, Ohio — Wednesday marked two years since a Minneapolis police officer killed George Floyd.

It also marked the 724th consecutive day that members of the Wooster community have stood downtown to protest police brutality.

“At a young age, I learned that if you want something to change, sometimes you have to do it yourself,” said Juanita Greene, president of the Wooster/Orrville NAACP.

Greene said she and her family have experienced racism in what is a predominantly white town.

“My son, when we first moved here, went to the bank to cash in some savings bonds. They wouldn’t cash it for him.” Greene said. “Now I have been in there and they cashed it for me — a young man — 19 years old, rode up on his bike and they would not cash it, because he was Black.”

She emphasized that parents of Black children know it’s necessary to have serious conversations about how to interact with police, as she feels law enforcement often unfairly targets young Black people.

On the second anniversary of George Floyd’s death, she stood with members of her community and appreciated the changes that were implemented.

Collaboration between the community, the Wayne County Racial Justice Coalition, the NAACP and the Wooster Police Department have led to three local policies being changed:

• Chokeholds are now considered “use of deadly force.”
• Carotid holds, intended to render a person unconscious, are deemed “use of deadly force.”
• “Knock and announce” policies will be the default policy, instead of “no knock warrants”

Greene said the policy changes will help, but it’s still not enough.

She said every day, from noon to 1 p.m., at least one person is out on Wooster’s public square holding a sign, to say Black lives matter.