Amherst Proclaims October 14 as George Floyd Day but Not Without Pushback

Report on the Meeting of the Amherst Town Council, October 6, 2025 (Part 3 of 3)

This was a hybrid meeting held in Town Hall. It was recorded.

Present
Lynn Griesemer (President, District 2), Andy Steinberg, Mandi Jo Hanneke, and Ellisha Walker (at large), Cathy Schoen and Freke Ette (District 1), Pat DeAngelis (District 2), George Ryan and Hala Lord (District 3), Pam Rooney and Jennifer Taub (District 4), and Ana Devlin Gauthier (District 5). Absent: Bob Hegner (District 5)

Staff: Paul Bockelman (Town Manager) and Athena O’Keeffe (Council Clerk)

Allegra Clark, co-chair of the town’s Community Safety and Social Justice Committee proposed a proclamation to designate October 14 as George Floyd Day after she received a number of texts from friends on September 11 and 12, expressing dismay that Amherst flew the United States flag at half-staff in honor of Charlie Kirk, the right-wing political activist and founder of Turning Point USA who was killed at a public debate event at Utah Valley University on September 10. The flying of the flags at half-staff was in response to an executive order by President Donald Trump echoed by Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey.

Clark noted that many Amherst residents were upset that Amherst’s honoring Kirk did not represent the values of the community and that there were other municipalities that did not follow the order to fly the flag at half-staff. The U.S. House and Senate unanimously approved a resolution marking October 14, Kirk’s birthday, as a “National Day of Remembrance for Charlie Kirk.” Ironically, October 14 is also the birthday of George Floyd, who was murdered by Minneapolis police in May of 2020. Clark stated that proclaiming the day to honor Floyd “seemed like a way that maybe we could reclaim some of what the members of the community had been feeling.”

Although proclamations usually go to the Governance, Organization, and Legislation committee (GOL) of the council to be vetted for clarity, consistency, and actionability, there was not time for GOL to review this document prior to October 14. Therefore, GOL chair Ana Devlin Gauthier edited the draft to be in the acceptable form. “I thought it was a really poignant and meaningful opportunity for the council to reaffirm some of the statements that we’ve made in the past, but in a new light,” she said. Devlin Gauthier listed herself as the council sponsor of the proclamation. Hala Lord and Ellisha Walker then added their names as council sponsors, in addition to the many community sponsors.

The proclamation was removed from the Consent Agenda because of the concerns of several councilors. Andy Steinberg said that he objected to the proclamation making direct reference to Kirk, because it would draw more attention to Amherst from the federal administration. “My concern is not about any of us in this room or about the town’s name,” he said. “I think that given what we’ve seen in other places, of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) coming in and harassing people who are here, we’re going to suffer greatly, and they’re the ones that I’m concerned about.” George Ryan agreed with Steinberg that mentioning Kirk and the National Day of Remembrance puts a target on the town’s back “and the people that will pay for this are not the sponsors of this resolution. So, I’m conflicted. I respect the desire to express our values, but do it in a way that would not draw the kind of attention that would bring potential real harm to people that we say we care about.”

Freke Ette took a different stance. He asked, “Does this resolution bring the community together?” adding, “Although we may not agree, there are people who were comfortable with Charlie Kirk and don’t mind that he’s celebrated in this town. They also deserve at least to be considered in conversations like this. Are we ready for the consequences to those who are weak or to institutions?” He then asked, “Why should  the pain of a Black man only be visible because of the death of a white man? George Floyd’s birthday has been known for a long time, so why does it only become something that is raised because of Charlie Kirk?” He said that he thought resolutions should be local “so that what we do in the council relates to what goes on in the town. And for the most part, I don’t see that here.”

Ette continued that “we are a diverse town and we are a diverse country, and part of what that means is that we are going to live with people who may not think like us. We should leave room for that. We do not memorialize Charlie Kirk, and also, we don’t then use George Floyd as a foil.”

Pat DeAngelis urged the council “not to obey in advance” but also  stated, “as white people, we’ve consistently used people of color, and I think that’s what we’re doing, and it’s wrong.” 

“We are living through unprecedented times, and it’s scary for a lot of people. A lot of people in our community are suffering right now. We passed the resolution on December 7, 2020 affirming our commitment to ending structural racism. We explicitly mention the murder of George Floyd in that resolution.“
-Town Councilor Ellisha Walker

Walker countered, “We are living through unprecedented times, and it’s scary for a lot of people. A lot of people in our community are suffering right now. We passed the resolution on December 7, 2020 affirming our commitment to ending structural racism. We explicitly mention the murder of George Floyd in that resolution. We are not using George Floyd as a foil. This is consistent with the statements that we’ve made as a council in the past. This is important for us as a community to signal that we care, we are listening, we are understanding, and we are acting to the best of our ability. Mentioning Kirk’s rhetoric, police violence, all those things are examples of structural racism which we have committed to working to dismantle. We have just voted as a council to freeze CRESS positions. We need to stand for something as a community, and I think that’s what makes our community safer.”

Devlin Gauthier countered some of the criticisms of the proposal. She said, “I think that it is really challenging to walk that line between advocating for what we feel is right and not pulling harmful attention.” She responded to Ette’s comments saying, “I see this resolution as a reminder that we need to hold this duality of our right to free speech and our commitment to righting the wrongs of our past and saying how we stand with our community in the face of hatred. And Councilor Ette, you and I just  have a fundamental difference of opinions on what we believe proclamations or resolutions can serve a purpose for. If you’d like to see resolutions and proclamations stay local, that is your preference. And this is my preference. Things happen on a national stage that deeply impact residents of Amherst.”

Pam Rooney suggested amending the proclamation to remove  the references to Kirk and others murdered for their political beliefs. Lord objected, noting the “horrific racism and daily assaults that we have to bear” and the fact that the day of remembrance for Kirk was passed unanimously, when not even Martin Luther King Day did.”

Jennifer Taub also objected to removing the reference to Charlie Kirk. She said lowering the flag for him did not reflect her values and those of “the vast majority of residents in Amherst.” Pat DeAngelis concurred, feeling that it was important also to leave in the paragraph stating the “murder of individuals for the identities they hold, their political beliefs, or the free speech they practice is never permissible and should be condemned at all levels.” Taub pointed out that George Floyd was not killed for his political beliefs, but because he was a Black man.

Clark explained that the proclamation was crafted with ideas from an online space by Black organizers. She also noted that a diverse group of people signed on in the community as co-sponsors, and there were also a lot of people who said, ‘I can’t put my name on something like that because I’m afraid.’ I don’t want to put anyone at risk of harm because of this proclamation, and I also think that Amherst is already a target. This is already on our website as part of the meeting packet.”

The amendment to remove the references to Kirk and to murder for political beliefs passed by a vote of 9-2-1. Taub and Lord voted no, and Cathy Schoen abstained. The amended proclamation passed by a vote of 11-1, with Ette voting no.