 | | Demonstrators gathered in downtown San Diego on Sunday as they protested the death of George Floyd.Ariana Drehsler/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images |
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On Monday, following a weekend of protests against racism and police brutality in nearly all corners of the state, Gov. Gavin Newsom attempted a verbal balancing act. |
Mr. Newsom was flanked by the Rev. Tecoy Porter of Genesis Church in Sacramento, who described the “double pandemic” afflicting black communities. |
“The black community is not responsible for what’s happening in this country — we are,” the governor said. “People have lost patience for a reason.” |
Mr. Newsom said reported instances of police officers attacking peaceful protesters with undue force would be investigated, though he sidestepped an opportunity to question President Trump’s call for governors to “dominate” protesters, or else risk looking “like a bunch of jerks.” |
“We all have the choice,” Mr. Newsom said. “I could choose to go back and forth.” He didn’t. |
Mayors of large cities have been forced to walk a fine line between expressing solidarity with marginalized communities and maintaining relationships with law enforcement, and especially with police unions. |
“You’re part of the group that has been historically oppressed by government, and then you’re in charge of trying to make the government work,” said Mayor Michael Tubbs of Stockton, a Democrat who is the city’s first black mayor. |
In Los Angeles, that tension has been on particular display in recent days; Mayor Eric Garcetti angered many with his decision to call in the National Guard, not long after saying it wasn’t necessary. |
“Everybody will second-guess,” Mr. Garcetti said. |
On Monday, Mr. Garcetti stood nearby while the city’s police chief, Michel Moore, said in a virtual briefing that the death of George Floyd “is on their hands as much as it is on those officers,” referring to looters. |
“And that is a strong statement,” Chief Moore added. |
By the end of the night, both men had walked the statement back. |
“The responsibility for George Floyd’s death rests solely with the police officers involved,” Mr. Garcetti wrote on Twitter. “Chief Moore regrets the words he chose this evening and has clarified them.” |
Here are more updates on protests |
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 | | Protests continued in Los Angeles on Monday, despite a 6 p.m. curfew that was in effect for much of the city. A peaceful protest of over 1,000 demonstrators marched through Hollywood’s theater district.Bryan Denton for The New York Times |
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For another night, millions of Californians in big cities and suburban enclaves were barred from leaving their homes as the authorities enacted historic curfews and arrested those who violated them. |
- Sacramento’s first night under a curfew was calmer than the past few days in large part because Stephon Clark’s brother, Stevante Clark, urged protesters to stay peaceful. [The Sacramento Bee]
- Some 15,000 people marched peacefully in Oakland. Dozens were later arrested. [The Mercury News]
- A day of protest in Los Angeles ended with more looting, largely in Hollywood and Van Nuys. [The Los Angeles Times]
- In many cities, including Los Angeles and San Jose, volunteers returned to sites of vandalism and looting to clean up, in hopes that the movement won’t be defined by destruction. [The New York Times]
- Spurred by Mr. Floyd’s death, and effective immediately, San Diego police officers will no longer use a neck hold known as a carotid restraint. Critics say they’ve been asking the city to make such a move for years. [The San Diego Union-Tribune]
- If a city can’t insure its police force, it can’t have a police force. So can private insurance companies help encourage better policing? [Marketplace]
- The protests, and what many have said are overly aggressive police responses, have prompted activists to push for a “People’s Budget” in Los Angeles. Here’s what that means. [LAist]
- What happens after George Floyd? A lawmaker has proposed establishing a reparations committee. [CalMatters]
- “The protesters we see in the streets don’t hate America. They are asking us to be better.” Arnold Schwarzenegger, the former governor of California, wrote about coming to America in 1968 and what he’s seen since. [The Atlantic]
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Here’s what else to know today |
- While Twitter has begun labeling some of President Trump’s tweets, Mark Zuckerberg has said the president’s posts should be left alone. Dozens of employees protested executives’ decisions with a digital walkout. [The New York Times]
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- Rents in the Bay Area plummeted in May amid the downturn. In Mountain View, where Google is, rents fell 15.9 percent year over year. Still, that doesn’t mean rents are cheap. [The San Francisco Chronicle]
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If you missed it, read more about Facebook’s plans to let people work from home permanently, and the implications for tech workers more broadly. [The New York Times] |
- Airlines really want you to feel like it’s safe to fly again. But is it? [The New York Times]
- Christo, the artist whose installations stretched far across the land — like his “Running Fence,” which snaked its way through Sonoma and Marin Counties — has died. [The New York Times]
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 | | Demonstrators in Oakland protested the killing of George Floyd before an 8 p.m. curfew on Monday. Jim Wilson/The New York Times |
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As we continue to cover the protests around California, we want to hear from you about whether you have participated and why. |
Did you attend a protest in your city? What inspired you to show up? How did you feel while you were there? And did you return to help with cleanup efforts the next day? |
Jill Cowan grew up in Orange County, went to school at U.C. Berkeley and has reported all over the state, including the Bay Area, Bakersfield and Los Angeles — but she always wants to see more. Follow along here or on Twitter. |
California Today is edited by Julie Bloom, who grew up in Los Angeles and graduated from U.C. Berkeley. |
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