Black Lives Matter protests, events continue in SLO County for third weekend in a row
San Luis Obispo County protests in support of the Black Lives Matter movement amid anger over the death of George Floyd have continued for a third weekend.
Protesters across the country have joined in marches and rallies in the wake of the videotaped incident involving Floyd, a Black man who died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes.
In San Luis Obispo, protests began May 30 and have continued in the county almost daily.
Community members gathered at Mission Plaza in downtown San Luis Obispo at 4:30 p.m. Saturday for one of the latest peaceful protests. It was organized by local Black community members, according to a flyer.
The rally ended after about 90 minutes and transitioned into a march which lasted until around 7:30 p.m.
Protesters could be heard chanting sayings such as “No justice, no peace,” and “Hey, hey. Ho, ho. These racist cops have got to go,” as they marched through town.
The city of San Luis Obispo warned motorists to anticipate traffic delays.
Earlier, more than 200 people gathered in Avila Beach on Saturday morning to paddle out in solidarity of Black Lives Matter.
That event was organized by Veronica Avery, owner of Avery Acupuncture in Paso Robles, and Wes Coast Photographer Wes Braken and Aquila Corley, the daughter of the founder of the Black Surfing Association.
Avery, who has been surfing for about 23 years, said that after participating in a paddle out hosted by Black Girls Surf last Friday she wanted to organize an event at Olde Port Beach.
“Almost every time I go and surf, I am the only Black person in the water, so it felt really good to have that platform to speak today on the issues that are going on in this,” Avery said.
The morning event kicked off at 8:30 a.m. with a 30-minute yoga session that was followed by Black speakers including co-founder of R.A.C.E Matters SLO Courtney Haile, founder of the Black Surfing Association Tony Corley, and his daughter Aquila Corley.
Avery said she coordinated with Haile to make sure that Black voices would be amplified and Haile put her in contact with Corley, who shared his experience as a young Black surfer in the 1970s when he founded the Black Surfing Association.
Avery and Braken also coordinated with Oceano Lifegaurd Association and Harbor Patrol to ensure a safe event and encouraged participants to practice social distancing and wear face masks on the shore, Avery said.
“This was a really safe, healing atmosphere for people to come out and support on the sand and in the water,” Avery said.
After an 8- minute, 46-second moment of silence for Floyd, surfers took to the ocean and paddled out, forming a circle with their boards while others waved signs from the shore. Avery said paddle outs are a typical form of memorial for surfers.
“We used today’s paddle out in the spirit of the Black Lives Matter movement, honoring George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, many, many more of our Black brothers and sisters who have fallen in the hands of injustice,” Avery said.
Avery said she was blown away by the number of people who came out to support the movement and was grateful to the many allies who are standing with the Black community.
“I didn’t know what today was going to look like, but I was really, really so happy to see the turnout and how many people came up to me and personally introduced themselves,” Avery said.
Along with Saturday’s protest and paddle out, a virtual charity event was organized by the SLO Masonic Center to raise funds for R.A.C.E. Matters SLO and the NAACP.
SLO for Civility, Peace and Justice Now was live-streamed from the center from noon to 6 p.m. The charity featured local artists, speakers and poets, according to their Facebook event page.
Correction: This story has been updated to reflect all paddle-out coordinators and clarify that the charity event was organized by the SLO Masonic Center.
This story was originally published June 13, 2020 at 7:29 PM.
