Thousands at Santa Barbara Courthouse Protest the Murder of George Floyd
Speakers Decry the Killing of Unarmed Black People at the Hands of Police
Messages of healing and indignation surged through a sea of thousands of protesters gathered at the Santa Barbara Courthouse this Sunday afternoon calling for an end to police brutality against black Americans. Organized by members of the area Black Lives Matter chapter and Juneteenth Santa Barbara, the speakers blasted the city and its police department and demanded a local declaration that racism was a public health emergency.
The peaceful protest was one of many that have ignited across the United States over the last several days in response to the murder of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, by a white Minneapolis police officer. A video that went viral on news networks and social media showed the officer pinning Floyd to the ground by kneeling on his neck for more than eight minutes. Floyd could be heard pleading: “Please, I can’t breathe.”
The footage of Floyd’s brutal death was another one of countless unarmed black people killed by police. It was the final straw, inciting violent riots and peaceful protests in Minneapolis, New York, Los Angeles, and many other American cities.
