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Black Lives Matter protest in Irvine is peaceful

Dozens of Black Lives Matter protesters gathered in Irvine on Sunday afternoon in a peaceful demonstration.

In the mid-afternoon, a crowd of several dozen stood on the corner of Alton Parkway and Harvard Avenue, next to Irvine City Hall and the Irvine Police Department, as a steady stream of drivers honked as they passed by.

Just before 4 p.m., most of the demonstrators walked up the entryway to the Civic Center, stopping by the parking lot, which was blocked off by yellow caution tape. A row of officers wearing helmets with batons at the scene did not interact with the demonstrators, standing silently and watching.

The protesters, gathering to mark the death of George Floyd, chanted “no justice, no peace, no racist police,” “Black Lives Matter,” and “What do we want from Irvine Police? Justice.”

At several points, the crowd collectively took a knee and raised their fists, unsuccessfully trying to get officers to join them.

Organizers asked black demonstrators to speak of their experiences, with one saying she was “sick of racial profiling,” and another saying his grandparents had marched with Martin Luther King Jr. and “60 years later nothing has changed.”

No violence was threatened, protesters did not attempt to move past the officers and at several points an organizer reminded the crowd to remain peaceful.


Source: Orange County Register

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