Black Lives Matter protest held in Sidney

SIDNEY, NE - The protests that are taking place all over the country have come to the Nebraska panhandle.

A group of about 30 gathered on Illinois Street in Sidney on Tuesday night. The road goes right through downtown Sidney.

Protest organizer Drew Stiles said yesterday a group put up Black Lives Matter posters around town, but they were taken down by other residents.

In response, a group came together to hold the posters themselves as people drove by.

Stiles said the issue is global, to effect change, they have to start local.

"I'm out here fighting for my people of color," Stiles said. "I want them to feel comfortable to make sure they have a peaceful life wherever they're at. They shouldn't have to be scared of the people that are supposed to protect us."

Law enforcement was present at the protest. Both they and protesters said they were there to protect the protesters.

"They have had some people come up and heckle them and give them a hard time so we're here more to protect their safety right now to make sure nobody messes with them," Cheyenne County Sheriff Adam Frerichs said. "They're being peaceful and we just want to make sure that everyone that's interacting with them is the same way, just being peaceful."

Later in the protest, Sidney Police Chief Joe Aikens stopped and handed out American flags to the protesters.

The protesters were mainly made up of high schoolers and college-aged residents.