After a news conference by local sheriffs, some residents took offense to what was said. Now in Chenango County, demonstrators are speaking out, saying racism does exist in their community.

"Stuff like that doesn't happen here. You don't hear of those things here," said Chenango County Sheriff Ernest Cutting Jr. on Wednesday about the murder of George Floyd. 

A small group of neighbors took exception to that — and the news conference as a whole.

"I saw a lot of people with power, a lot more power than the average citizen, whining. Because they're now uncomfortable, because they now have to deal with being accountable for all their actions, just like any other citizen," said Reverend LaDana Clark, a hip-hop pastor.

Clark is a passionate activist throughout Upstate New York. Traveling from Oneonta to Norwich Friday, Clark believes even rural communities, like those in Chenango County, have hints of racism.

"And if you say it's not here it's because you can't see it. And I'll be happy to help, and come to some meetings to help people see it," said Clark.

Clark is one of a couple dozen people who disagreed with the sheriffs' comments. But the sheriff believes the county he polices is not comparable to areas like Minneapolis.

"If you look at the demographics there's not a large minority population here. And I'm just saying we don't have some of the larger-scale incidents that you see on a national level," said Cutting Jr.

But the sheriff says that doesn't excuse his office from listening.

"There's no halo over our head. And I'm not saying we don't have a lot of work to do. We do. We certainly can improve training, there's some other aspects of law enforcement I think we can take a look at," said Cutting Jr.

The sheriff says he is willing to sit down with neighbors who want to discuss issues in the county.