BY OLIVIA LEACH MIDDLETOWN, SPECTRUM NEWS

Health care workers across the Hudson Valley held silent vigils outside hospitals across the region Thursday in memory of George Floyd and others who died as a result of police brutality.

What You Need To Know

• The vigils were held at hospitals across the Hudson Valley

• The 1199SEIU healthcare workers union organized the vigils

• The union is demanding accountability in police brutality cases nationwide

Dozens of health care workers gathered outside of the Orange Regional Medical Center Thursday morning for a silent vigil organized by the 1199 SEIU Health Care Workers Union in honor of George Floyd.

The workers, some on their lunch break, others on their day off, stood for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, the length of time a Minneapolis police officer held his knee on George Floyd’s neck. Some raised their fists, while others held signs remembering the lives of Floyd and Breonna Taylor, who was killed by police in Louisville, Ky.

"It’s a long time having somebody staying on you, not being able to breathe. It was a long time for me to hold a sign up," said Orange Regional Medical Center worker Colleen Tierney-Clark. "[It] just makes me sick."

The organizer of the vigil, Angela Lane, said this issue is personal for her.

"This is my son and this is his best friend. When they leave my house, I worry," said Angela Lane, an 1199 union organizer.

Yolanda Polchowski brought her kids to the vigil on her day off.

"I think it's important for the young generation to understand the importance of how it is, number one, support your community, and to fight for justice," said ORMC worker Yolanda Polchowski.