The protests over his death also speak to years of systemic racism, well-documented prior instances of police brutality going back decades, and repeated calls for action falling on deaf ears of elected officials.
Brian Jweid, Director of Civil Service Administration for Oneida County, was one of the many who tuned in to see what was going on at the site of the protest, and came across a particular man who has a dream - and he wants to help.
Utica often gets the short end of the stick, poked fun at by the The Simpsons, The Office - and often, its own residents. On Sunday, Utica reminded us what it's made of. And made us all proud.