San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
RACIAL JUSTICE VIGIL IN DOWNTOWN S.D.
Activists ‘want to keep the momentum going,’ one attendee says
A racial justice demonstration drew a few dozen protesters to downtown’s Waterfront Park early Saturday evening.
“We are here to amplify the voices of our Black brothers and sisters,” said Athena Bazalaki, a 36-year-old from Barrio Logan and mother of two boys.
The demonstration, which brought together a loose affiliation of groups, began around 5:15 p.m. with a vigil to “honor and remember all those taken by state-sanctioned violence,” according to a flyer for the event. Candles and flowers were placed in front of pictures of people of color in the San Diego area who have died in incidents involving law enforcement. One protester from Imperial Beach waved a Black Lives Matter flag.
The aftermath of the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis
has sparked numerous demonstrations and marches around San Diego County in recent months, just as the death has led to countless protests across the country.
Bazalaki is a member of Moms United for Black Lives and has taken part in many of the local protests. She said her group “wants to keep the momentum going” for societal change and law enforcement reforms.
The movement “ebbs and f lows, honestly, depending on what’s going on ... and people get complacent again,” Bazalaki said. “With things that are going on in our society, they do trigger things that make people want to act and we want to make sure this is a longstanding movement, as opposed to a trend.”
Tasha Williamson, a community activist and former San Diego mayoral candidate, attended the vigil and was scheduled to speak.
“I definitely think the message is getting out there,” Williamson said as the event was about to start. “I just don’t feel like the people with the power want to change their racist system.”
She added: “I would like to see the voters vote them out so we can vote in folks who will change White power structures that are inherently racist to people of color, especially to Black people.”
By about 6 p.m., about 60 people had gathered in front of the water fountain at the west end of Waterfront Park. The demonstration was peaceful, with some demonstrators planning to march to Little Italy.
“There are people out there who have gone back to their regular, daily lives,” Bazalaki said. “While it would be nice to go back to business as usual, there are still injustices that need to be (addressed) and we’re here to remind people and hopefully open their eyes, so they do a little more research and see what’s going on with their brothers and sisters.”