STROUDSBURG, Pa. — Dozens came out to Courthouse Square in Stroudsburg to make their voices heard.
The vigil marked the one-year anniversary of the death of George Floyd, who died while in the custody of Minneapolis police.
Officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of Floyd's murder in April.
“I don't want people to lose sight that even though there was a conviction in the murder of George Floyd, there's really no justice because George Floyd not here with us today,” said Tameko Patterson, the vice president of the NAACP, whose group organized the vigil.
The Monroe County NAACP believes now is the time to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, a bill in Congress that increases accountability for law enforcement misconduct and restricts the use of certain police practices.
“Nothing is more clear than what we have seen after his passing that the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act should be adopted in Congress immediately,” Christa Ceceres, the president of the Monroe County NAACP.
“I think it's critical in the accountability, the legal accountability for people that commit these kinds of crimes,” added Stroudsburg resident Linda Swartz.
But more immediately, those at the vigil say they want to make sure George Floyd's memory lives on.
“It was imperative that the world still knows that the George Floyd still resonates with us in America,” said East Stroudsburg resident Michael Desrosiers.