by Mariah Melendez
Herald Staff
On Monday, July 26, supporters of the “Blue Lives Matter” movement made their presence felt in front of Cheshire Town Hall. The rally, which was organized via Facebook and attracted more than two dozen people, was scheduled to take place from 4 to 6 p.m., to show support for local and state police officers.
The police reform bill, recently passed by the Connecticut House of Representatives as well as the State Senate, has been controversial since its introduction. Specifically, opponents have pointed to a portion of the bill that would end qualified immunity for police officers — a law that protects officers from civil suits unless it can be proven that an officer violated “clearly established statutory or constitutional rights.”
One supporter, Daniel Bennett, who attended the rally on Monday in response to the police reform bill, spoke of how he wanted to see more people defend the police.
“We are out here to show our support for the people in blue,” Bennett said. “We support them and what they do for us every day.”
Many of the supporters of the “Blue Lives Matter” movement stated that their concern is that, if the reform bill is passed, it will actually make towns such as Cheshire less, not more, safe in the long run.
“The bill up in Hartford has a lot more negative effects than positives,” Bennett added. “We want people to know we don’t agree with it.”
More supporters gathered on Tuesday in front of Town Hall.