MARSHALL — A “peaceful protest” in the vicinity of Memorial Park located at downtown Marshall is being organized to be held this evening.

On Tuesday, a Facebook event page for the peaceful protest was created and received more than 200 responses from people who said they were interested in attending the protest to be held from 6-8 p.m. In a press release Tuesday, Public Safety Director Jim Marshall said he’s been in contact with Jess Dressen, one of the two event organizers.

“The City of Marshall Police Department is aware of a planned peaceful protest to occur on Wednesday June 3, 2020, in the vicinity of Memorial Park. The Police Department has been in contact with the event organizers. The City has the obligation to honor First Amendment protected peaceful demonstrations. The City also has the duty to protect and serve the public,” the release said.

​“Please be aware, if individuals try to interrupt First Amendment rights with any type of violence or destruction, these actions will not be tolerated, and these individuals will be removed from the area. The department is committed to protecting the constitutional rights of all citizens and will make every effort to keep this protest peaceful.”

A solidarity march and peaceful protest was held in Worthington Tuesday afternoon that went from the high school and around town. Marshall Mayor Bob Byrnes said Tuesday he has been in contact with the mayor of Worthington about their events.

Some businesses in downtown Marshall are on alert, including the restaurant Mariachi Fiesta. Manager Margarita Garcia said they will be closed during the day to help keep customers and employees as safe as possible.

“We want it to be safe and we also don’t want any customers to be exposed if things weren’t peaceful,” Garcia said Tuesday. “Protests can be specific but it can also be escalated, so we’ll see how it goes. As for the next few days, whether we will be open or not, we’re not sure, it’s about whatever is the safest option.”

Marshall told the Independent on Tuesday that the police department will have contingency plans in place and there is no indication the protests will be anything other than peaceful.

“The community can rest assured that there are plans in place with other agencies within Lyon County. My focus during this difficult time is on interaction over reaction and de-escalation over a sign of force,” Marshall said. “We can work close with those who have been hurt and I’m confident in the resiliency of the city that we can move forward and repair any damage that has been done.”

Marshall also commented on the death of George Floyd involving a police officer in Minneapolis on May 25.

“The actions taken by one officer does not reflect how we train and what the badge represents. Our core values are based on honesty, integrity, fairness and there is no exception,” Marshall said. “Both leadership and collaboration are needed to fix these issues as we work to rebuild trust within our communities. We will work close with the organizers to ensure their voices are heard and our community is safe.”