Fourth weekend of protests since death of George Floyd.
Protests to bring attention to systemic racism and police brutality were widespread again in the Bay Area on Sunday.
The fourth weekend of unrest since the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis included demonstrations from San Francisco to Oakland, Fremont to Santa Rosa and many other cities in the region.
On a sunsoaked morning in San Francisco, Buddhist groups held a “sit, walk and listen” demonstration in Civic Center Plaza.
Sandwiched between City Hall and the Civic Auditorium, protest organizers created a memorial to those killed by police.
A group of about two dozen sat for 30 minutes, staring mindfully across Polk Street, which had giant, newly painted yellow letters that spell out: “Defund the police” and “BLM.”
Wearing masks and generally maintaining 6 feet of distance, the group marched around the area and tripled in size to nearly 100 participants by the time it returned to its starting point and began a “listening circle.”
A few miles north of Civic Center, a “Disband Police” rally began at Fort Mason.
“We want to disband police,” organizer Don Poisson said, “by any means necessary.”
The demonstration started with about 30 gathering for a moment of silence for those killed by law enforcement. The group then set out on a march past the Marina Safeway and into the neighborhood. One of
the organizers strapped a speaker to his back and pumped out inspirational music as the marchers danced and waved signs of protest.
Another protest Sunday featured skateboarders, with about 50 people gathering in the shadow of the Bay Bridge for a “Skate 4 Black Lives” demonstration at Cupid’s Span.
Many participants wore shirts that read “Black people originated from love.” They cruised up the Embarcadero to the cheers of pedestrians and honks from passing cars. They zipped past the Ferry Building and reassembled at Harry Bridges Plaza.
After adding about 50 onlookers along the way, the group showcased skating tricks and shared personal stories of racism they’ve experienced.
In downtown Oakland, about 30 people gathered to pick up trash off Frank Ogawa Plaza and Broadway, the site of recent protests, and to enjoy an art walk to admire new murals, according to Stephen Chun, who helped organize the gathering through the group Urban Restoration.
“We wanted people to feel inspired by the BLM movement and also for artists to get some recognition,” Chun said by email. Chronicle staff writer Matthias Gafni contributed to this
report.