Hundreds hold peaceful protest on Sunday
By 10 a.m. Sunday, hundreds of protesters, many masked to protect themselves and others from COVID-19, gathered on all four corners of Kettleman Lane and Lower Sacramento Road.
They carried signs reading “Black Lives Matter,” showing photos of George Floyd, who was killed in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25, and listing names of others who have died in officer-involved shootings or in custody including Breonna Taylor, Stephon Clark, Philando Castile, Rekia Boyd and Sandra Bland.
As they chanted, “I can’t breathe” and “Say his name,” led by drummer Carlos Reymon Gabriel of NorCal Resist, Lodi Police Chief Sierra Brucia walked along the crowd and thanked them for coming out to peacefully speak their minds. Passing cars honked their support to the cheering rally.
“We, like so many other people, have woken up,” Steve Tyack of Lodi said.
People have to learn how to recognize the effects of systemic racism, both on the system and on themselves, he said. That means learning to examine and remove their own prejudices, he said.
Another protester who declined to give his name was pleasantly surprised by the turnout.
“It feels really great,” he said.
Cheryl Francis, best known in Lodi for the work she does for homeless and low-income residents with her Grace and Mercy Charitable Foundation, shared that until she was 9 years old, she had to attend a segregated school.
Today, she said, she gives her grandchildren advice on how to survive if they are ever pulled over on their trips between Lodi and Antioch, including to have someone on the phone for the entire encounter.
“(God) has revealed what has been going on for 62 years in my life,” she told the crowd of protesters.
She quoted the Declaration of Independence, written by America’s Founding Fathers.
“’We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,’” she said.
She urged the crowd to vote for change, and to keep using their voices.
“Let’s put God in it,” she said. “Let’s make this stop.”
Pastor Curtis Smith of Destiny Christian Center in Stockton called for change as well.
“It isn’t political, it’s Biblical,” he said, turning to show his shirt that had 52 different Scriptures about justice on the back.
African Americans have been fighting for civil rights since 1866, Smith said. Floyd’s death showed that more work is needed.
“Imagine 8 minutes of someone crying out,” he said. “Imagine 400 years of people crying out.”
The system needs to be rebuilt from the ground up, he said, pointing to the roots of many police departments in the patrols that tracked down and captured people who escaped slavery before the Civil War.
He urged the demonstrators in Lodi to vote, go to city council meetings, and make sure public servants are working for everyone.
Change also has to start at home with your family, among your friends, at your church, he said.
When he was young, he said, he thought that if injustice and racism were just caught on camera, the world would change.
“How many times has there been a video?” he said. “Enough is enough!”
Smith also called for more transparency and citizen oversight of police departments, and for officers not to be silent if one of their numbers acts in a racist or bigoted way.
Several other community and religious leaders spoke, sharing their own experiences and calling on the gathered protesters to stand up.
Throughout the protest, demonstrators took turns crossing the streets on the light, waving to cars, and chanting, “What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now!”
The idea to hold the protest in Lodi came from 20-year-old Bobbi Owens, who grew up in the city and now goes to Santa Rosa Junior College, where she studies humanities.
“It really started with a conversation with a friend,” she said.
But as she discussed the idea with her parents and on Facebook, word began to spread and members of several local organizations began reaching out and offering to help.
“It started getting bigger, and bigger, and bigger,” she said.
Owens was surprised and encouraged by the large turnout. As a biracial person, it made her feel like she could trust her community, she said.
As for why she felt drawn to hold the protest? It’s time to talk about racial injustice, she said. It needs to be solved. She was counting on her generation of younger people to make the change, not just in Lodi but everywhere.
“People are going to inspire each other,” she said. “It needs to be heard. It needs to be addressed.”
As the speeches wound down, demonstrators began walking to DeBenedetti Park. Passing cars and trucks continued to honk their support for the crowd.
Once there, Smith asked the protesters to chant “I can’t breathe” for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, the length of time that Floyd was held to the ground by a police officer with a knee on his neck. During the chant, Smith occasionally called out, “Mother! Mama!” as Floyd did while he was being held.
Then, protesters were asked to take a knee. Owens thanked them all for coming out.
“It really touches my heart,” she said.
The organizers told the crowd to keep applying pressure for change, and reminded them that they had the right to protest.
Then, they asked to end the event with a moment of silence that stretched into several minutes. One by one, protesters raised their right fists in solidarity.