It was a chorus of car horns as the community came together in support of the Black community and the Black Lives Matter movement.
The murder of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor has sparked a resurgence of social awareness and protests not unlike the Los Angeles Riots of 1992.
The 1992 riots were incited by the acquittal of four white LAPD officers involved in the brutal beating of Rodney King.
Twenty-eight years later, the protests, looting and violence are once again spurred by the instances of police using excessive force and being charged with murder members of the Black community.
The term and iconic hashtag #BlackLivesMatter was was coined by Patrisse Khan-Cullors, Alicia Garza, and Opal Tometi in 2013 after 17-year-old Trayvon Martin’s death and the acquittal of the man who shot him.
The Black Lives Matter organization strives to “eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes” according to its website.
On May 25th, a video of George Floyd being pinned by the neck under Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin’s knee went viral. Floyd died as a result of Chavuin’s aggression, adding fuel to the fire that had been stoked by the officer-involved death of Breonna Taylor on March 13th.
Immediately following the release of the video, the four officers were fired, but it took another 48 hours to charge Chauvin with 3rd-degree murder and 2nd-degree manslaughter.
On Wednesday, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison raised Chauvin’s charges to 2nd degree muder with intent and also charged the other three officers with aiding and abetting the murder of Floyd.
Cities the world over have been rife with scenes of chaos, with some protesters vandalizing property and looting businesses. Though many protests have remained peaceful.
On Thursday another protest sprang up on the corners of McBean Parkway and Valencia Boulevard while another group began their protest at Bridgeport Park, chanting the message of true racial equality.
The National Guard was stationed up and down Valencia Boulevard and in front of the Santa Clarita Sheriff’s Station, but a local community member wishing to remain anonymous says that that was probably unnecessary.
“Not all protestors are looters that riot and destroy property. We just want our voices to be heard and taken seriously, and action taken.”
Today the residents of Santa Clarita showed up in solidarity for the Black Lives Matter movement and they did it peacefully, abiding by the First Amendment rules of lawful assembly.
The anonymous protestor is grateful that Santa Clarita residents showed up in solidarity with the Black community, and did it respectfully.
“We are thankful that they came out and supported us. Protests in the past have not been like that.”
There are more local protests scheduled in the coming days:
- Friday, June 5th
- “SCV Black Lives Matter: Peaceful Protest
- 12 P.M. at the corner of Valencia Blvd. and McBean Pkwy
- “Demand Change in SCV”
- 2 P.M. at Santa Clarita City Hall and Santa Clarita Sheriff’s Department
- “SCV Black Lives Matter: Peaceful Protest
- Saturday, June 6th
- “SCV Black Lives Matter: Peaceful Protest
- 12 P.M. at the corner of Valencia Blvd. and McBean Pkwy
- “SCV Black Lives Matter: Peaceful Protest
- Sunday, June 7th
- SCV Black Lives Matter: Peaceful Protest
- 12 P.M. at the corner of Valencia Blvd. and McBean Pkwy
- SCV Black Lives Matter: Peaceful Protest
