Hundreds march in Sarnia's downtown for  Black Lives Matter rally June 13, 2020 (BlackburnNews.com photo by Dave Dentinger)Hundreds march in Sarnia's downtown for Black Lives Matter rally June 13, 2020 (BlackburnNews.com photo by Dave Dentinger)
Sarnia

Sarnia police say Black Lives Matter rally peaceful, respectful

Sarnia police report just one incident in Saturday's Black Lives Matter rally and march that drew hundreds of people.

Cst. John Sottosanti credits organizers for staging an event that was peaceful and respectful.

"The Sarnia Police Service is very happy and proud of how the protest went," said Sottosanti. "Everything was very smooth. Our officers had next to no involvement other than one individual who was actually there against the protest and was confronting individuals in the crowd and ripping up signs."

Cst. Sottosanti said a 41-year-old Sarnia man was arrested, held until he calmed down and released.

Lambton Medical Officer of Health Dr. Sudit Ranade told Sue Storr on CHOK that given the large turnout Saturday, they'll be watching for a potential-jump in COVID-19 cases down the road.

"What we're saying is 'stay as safe as you can when doing these things and when you gather,'" he said.

"We're going to be keeping an eye out two weeks down the road. We're going to wait and see what happens two weeks from now, and if there are cases then we'll start asking people if they've been at any gatherings. Then if we see any cases related to that, then that will be concerning."

As of Monday morning, there were 276 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Sarnia-Lambton and 235 people have recovered.

Read More Local Stories