This past weekend, Staten Island had two days of peaceful protests over the death of George Floyd, a black man who died last week in Minneapolis while a white police officer held his knee to Floyd’s neck. 

But unlike other parts of the city, Staten Island has escaped looting and violence. 

Residents we spoke to said they’re hopeful it will stay that way. 

"You come to Staten Island, you go inside your house, and that's it,” one resident said. “It's quiet here." 

"Just be peaceful, that's it, and leave the businesses," another resident told us. "’Cause we need it; we need to eat; we need to get stuff out of stores.”

We found just one business on the island's north shore that boarded up its windows. 

Its owner declined to speak on camera, but said he only put up the plywood because  some of his employees asked him to. 

He said he has faith in Staten Island residents' ability to protest peacefully. 

Many other businesses shared that sentiment, telling NY1 that they had no plans to board anything up and that they hoped people continue to speak out about George Floyd's death. 

Floyd’s death brought back painful memories for the borough. Just six years ago, Eric Garner died in a police chokehold. In his final moments, he uttered “I can’t breathe,” the same words Floyd said as he lay dying. 

More protests are planned on Staten Island for later this week.