Like in many areas across the nation, several protests and rallies have been held in SLO County over the past several days demanding justice for George Floyd, an end to police brutality, and recognition that Black Lives Matter. And more are planned for the future.
Minneapolis police officers took Floyd into custody on May 25 in response to a call from a convenience store alleging that he tried to pay for cigarettes with a counterfeit $20 bill. Video footage of the incident shows that Floyd stopped breathing while police officer Derek Chauvin pinned him to the ground by kneeling on his neck and back.
While most of the protests have ended peacefully, one in San Luis Obispo ended with tear gas. But protesters were back at it the next day, undeterred. New Times staffers spoke with residents, protesters, law enforcement, and advocacy organizations across the county about what’s happening in this moment and what needs to change for society to move forward.
—Camillia Lanham
Read more
- Local organizations discuss protests and long-term change
- June 1 protesters criticize police use of tear gas
- Downtown SLO shuts down for protests
- Protesters march in Paso Robles
This article appears in Summer Guide 2020.
Everyone is opposed to “police brutality.” And there are a few bad apples in the police forces, just as there are in the general population. There are, however, 800,000 policemen who keep us safe and most are as caring and responsible as the best of us.
At the same time, these men and women face folks on the street who are brutal and dangerous, who resist arrest with weapons and savage aggression. Let’s try to understand this balance and that not all players in the society behave withing the restraints of either fairness or consideration of others.
And the extension of “protests” to cover for looting, arson, stealing and assault, is preposterous.
And the expression, that “Black Lives Matter,” is different than the expression “black lives matter.” The second is obviously correct. The former is, at best “ambiguous.” The reality is that the policies of “Black Lives Matter” are completely racist, insisting that Black people are owed a living wage whether or not they work, and insisting that we dissolve all police forces. In the former case, that’s discrimination which no one is going to tolerate (and if we all got a living wage whether or not we work, we would all starve; as someone has to produce the food and goods we need to survive, and no one is going to do that if they can get the same “wage” as everyone else, without working.)
The former expression “Black Lives Matter,” is preposterous. The latter, “black lives matter,” is obviously correct.