George Floyd protests, marches continue across Southern California on Saturday
Peaceful demonstrations were held in Hollywood, near the USC campus, in the Fairfax district, San Pedro and near the Huntington Beach pier.
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Thousands of people again took to the streets Saturday in various counties across Southern California, where at least 30 separate protests were scheduled to demand justice for George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
Although the demonstrations held in the morning and early afternoon were not as massive as on previous days earlier this week in the region, they remained peaceful even while some resulted in the shutdown of major intersections.
Protests took place in Hollywood, near the USC campus, in the Fairfax district and San Pedro.
In Simi Valley, hundreds of Black Lives Matter supporters stood on all four corners of the intersection of Sycamore Drive and Cochran Street as passing drivers honked their horns in solidarity.
"KNOW JUSTICE, KNOW PEACE," one of the marchers' signs said. "To Be Silent Is To Be Complicit," said another.
The demonstrators, most of whom wore masks amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, arrived at the intersection about 9:30 a.m. and later made their way to Tapo Canyon Regional Park and then to Simi Valley City Hall. At a rally there they heard from speakers, singers and spoken word poets.
Although many nearby businesses were boarded up in an effort to prevent possible looting, there were no reports of property damage or arrests in the region as of 1:30 p.m.
Meanwhile, with throngs of marchers crowding streets in downtown Los Angeles, Long Beach and Hollywood, Metro officials cautioned riders to expect rolling bus detours and possible delays near those areas.
Outside of Los Angeles City Hall, a musician held a community concert dubbed "Sounds of change for protesters." Many gathered along the building's steps as they prepared for another day of protests across the city.
For Akanimo Eyo and his girlfriend, it was their first time attending a protest.
"It's amazing to see the entire world doing this, you know, it's not just here," said Eyo. "It's every state, it's across the globe, it's oversees... IT's just amazing to see significant change, which is huge. I think this is a pivotal movement."
Several protesters held signs with the names of recent and past victims who died at the hands of police, while others showed their support through prayer.
"The message of listening to our hurting voices is a human one, so I think that everybody should be able to get on board with that," said Eve Godschild of Orange County.
In West Hollywood, Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies blocked off multiple streets through Monday morning to accommodate demonstrators.
Elsewhere across the U.S., thousands of protesters streamed into the nation's capital and other major cities in another huge mobilization against police brutality while Floyd was remembered in his North Carolina hometown by mourners who waited hours for a glimpse of his golden coffin.
Military vehicles and officers in fatigues closed off much of downtown Washington to traffic ahead of the planned march, which authorities estimated would attract up to 200,000 people. Large protests also took place across the U.S. and overseas, including in London, Paris, Berlin and Sydney, collectively producing perhaps the largest one-day mobilization since Floyd's death 12 days ago at the hands of police in Minneapolis.
