PALOS VERDES, Calif. – Protesters took the streets of Via Corta and Palos Verdes Drive West in Palos Verdes Estates, just across from the Palos Verdes Estates Police Department on Monday, chanting “Silence is violence” and “Black Lives matter.”
More than 100 protesters, mostly young adults and families, and people like Chantell, who only provided Spectrum News 1 with her first name. They came out in protest of what they believe to be systemic racism and police brutality following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Chantell was happy to see a diverse group, protesting peacefully and in unity.
“Look at all these people out here. It’s absolutely amazing and so inspiring to me. I continue to learn from my peers so much,” Chantell said.
It was an important moment for Chantell to attend the protest in her community in an effort to stand up for others.
“I am half-black. I feel like I have a lot of privilege due to my lighter complexion. Therefore, I think, it’s my duty to come out here in a predominately white neighborhood and utilize the privilege that I have and speak out about something that still hits home to me,” Chantell said.
According to data from the last U.S. Census, about 73 percent of Palos Verdes Estates residents are white, 21 percent Asian, about 10 percent Hispanic or Latino with only .3 percent of the city’s population listed as black or African-American.
Monday’s protest was created in response to the death of George Floyd, where an officer in Minneapolis was seen kneeling on the man’s neck. One of the organizers for the planned protest is a high school student hoping to bring awareness to the Black Lives Matter movement in this community.
“I hope that the P.V. political system learned something from what we are doing today and learns that there are black people everywhere that need our help and need our voices to be heard,” Gabbie Doty said.
Doty’s sentiment is the same reason why Chantell wants to also be a part of this growing movement.
“It is so easy to turn a blind eye to the things that are going on around us. But, if we are crowding here, yelling, protesting - peacefully… I think it’s a great way to spark conversations,” Chantell said.
Conversations that Chantell hopes will lead to the end of what she sees as police violence and brutality throughout the nation.
Spectrum News 1 reached out to the Palos Verdes Estates police department for comment. We did not receive a response. However, on social media, police officers were seen kneeling with the peaceful protesters that day.