Protests Over George Floyd’s Death come to Santa Rosa

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Nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd in Minnesota now include Santa Rosa.

Saturday afternoon, hundreds of protestors gathered at Old Courthouse square before marching to the Sheriff’s Office. Traffic congestion would caused on Mendocino Ave. and splinters from the main group would block traffic on Northbound Highway 101 at Steel Lane. Tear gas was used to disperse the crowds twice Saturday night: once near a Highway 101 offramp and the other by the downtown transit mall.

Santa Rosa Police put out a statement at 9:53 PM Saturday night saying that most of the crowds had disperse but advised residents to stay out of the downtown area. They also advised businesses to close and send employees home and residents who live downtown to shelter in place. Noted were instances of vandalism and assault. The statement continued to read “We absolutely support people’s rights to free speech, however, we will not tolerate violence and destruction in our community.”

This protest and others across the country were sparked by the death of George Floyd after a Minneapolis Police Officer knelt on his neck against the street for nearly nine minutes. The officer, Derek Chauvin, has since been arrested for Third Degree Murder and 2nd Degree Manslaughter. The other three officers involved have yet to be charged.