SIMI VALLEY, Calif. – "I can’t breathe" were the last words uttered by George Floyd while in custody of the Minneapolis police. Those words still haunt Adrian Kidd, a resident of Simi Valley, who remembers hearing those same exact words before. 

“Eric Garner said the same words and to hear those words again and we actually seen it live on TV,” said Adrian Kidd. “It’s very powerful because those are the last words of a man’s life and it’s just very sad and heartbreaking.”

 

What You Need To Know


  • Protests have sprung up across the country over the death of George Floyd

  • Although violence and looting marred some protests, many have been peaceful

  • Over the weekend, a peaceful protest took place in Simi Valley

  • One local resident who marched with his family was encouraged by what he saw

 

Demonstrations across the country have been shining a light on the excessive use of force by police so Kidd wanted to set a positive example for his family, especially his daughter Aiyla. 

“I came here with my family to make a stand that all lives matter, but black lives matter right now today because they’re killing us and it is not right,” said Kidd.

Throughout the week, law enforcement’s efforts to quell protests with batons, tear gas, and rubber bullets have been captured on cell phones and posted on social media. But instead of getting angry, Kidd wants to protest peacefully. 

“Change has to happen,” said Kidd. “Change has to happen.”

Kidd moved his family to Simi Valley for a sense of community. Having experienced racial profiling himself, he doesn’t want to see his daughter go through what he went through.

“I’m 45 years old. I lived in Watts. I’ve seen it. I’ve been pulled for no reason, just for the color of my skin. You see it everywhere,” said Kidd.

At only 8 years old, Aiyla understands what her family is fighting for. She wants to be an actress when she grows up and counts Will Smith and Rihanna as role models. Today, she wants to sing.

“Broken down and tired of living life on a merry go round…” sings Aiyla.

 

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Kidd is proud of his daughter and grateful for all the young students that organized the Simi Valley Solidarity March, a peaceful protest where he sees himself reflected in the crowd.

“Look at all these people that are here. Here for human rights,” said Kidd. “Because everyone suffers in the end. We all have friends of different colors and different races and now is the time. I want to thank the millennials for this because their voices are being heard.”