BAKER CITY — About 115 people attended a Monday night vigil in Baker City for George Floyd, the man a Minneapolis police officer killed during a May 25 arrest.

Many of those who attended the peaceful event brought flowers and candles to place on a memorial at Central Park, beside the Powder River between Washington and Valley avenues.

The event was intended to be a peaceful memorial, not a protest, said Boston Colton of Baker City, who organized the vigil.

“My main motivation was to be able to show that there’s a person behind these protests, and a lot of people aren’t recognizing him for it,” Colton said. “He was a father, a brother, a son who had to painfully die for nine minutes.”

There was a nine-minute period of silence during the vigil, and many people seemed on the verge of tears. Afterward, people one by one placed candles and flowers on Floyd’s memorial.

Baker County Sheriff Travis Ash, who attended the vigil, lauded Colton for putting on a peaceful event.

“I think it’s great what he’s doing, bringing people together,” Ash said of Colton.

The sheriff, who was wearing his uniform, said although he was on duty he also attended the vigil out of a personal interest. Ash said he believes what happened to Floyd was horrific, and police are supposed to protect and serve citizens.

Gabriel Clark came to the vigil with a sign that read, “I am grateful to breathe and honored to be here for someone that can’t.”

“When there’s a local event like this it’s our job to come out and support it,” Clark said. “Coming together is the first step toward change and unity.”

While people did come together, those in attendance were careful to stay distanced from those around them and many wore masks as a precaution against spreading the coronavirus.

Matt Diaz, a Navy veteran, said, “It’s important that George Floyd gets justice.”

“I took an oath to defend the Constitution, and it doesn’t seem like the Constitution is being honored,” Diaz added.

Chris McCullough of Baker City said bringing attention to what’s going on in a positive way is something the world needs.

“I feel like a lot of the protests have gotten out of hand and people have lost sight of what this is really about,” he said,. “It’s about a man who lost his life needlessly.”