Temecula Protesters Gathered At Duck Pond, Ordered To Disperse

TEMECULA, CA — Saturday, hundreds of people gathered in Temecula to protest of the death of George Floyd, a black man killed in Minneapolis earlier this week at the hands of a police officer.

The peaceful protest at the Temecula Duck Pond went on for over six hours until Riverside County sheriff's deputies issued the dispersal order.

Even still, officers remained at the duck pond with protesters who left the curb and instead sat on the grass as of 6:30 p.m.

Video from the scene showed the protest was not violent, as deputies interacted and even danced with some protest leaders. Officers present answered questions from those who remained sitting during the peaceful protest, showing that cooler heads can prevail. According to media at the scene the crowd and deputies left the Duck Pond area around 6:45 p.m.

Earlier in the day, authorities shut down Rancho California Road east of Interstate 15 as protesters marched along Ynez Road, according to a Press-Enterprise reporter at the scene.

The peaceful protest began at 10 a.m., where those present protested the death of Floyd, an unarmed black man, killed on Monday when a white police officer knelt on his neck for over eight minutes. All the while, Floyd, 46, begged for air.

In Temecula, protesters clad in black stood along the side of the road. They held signs and chanted "Black lives matter" as cars honked in support, videos shared on a social media show. Over 500 people were present at one point, the Press-Enterprise reported.

Protests over Floyd's death have spread to cities across the U.S., turning violent in some cases as police officers clashed with demonstrators and some businesses damaged by looters.

A Facebook page for the protest said it was organized by people "fed up with seeing our Black brothers and sisters being murdered by law enforcement and justice never being served."

"We will be spreading awareness about police brutality and racism in the justice system as well as handing out resources people can use to urge the DA to get the officers responsible for George Floyd's murder charged with their crimes."

Attendees were also encouraged to wear masks to safeguard against the coronavirus. Another demonstration was also held Saturday at the Galleria at Tyler in Riverside.

Derek Chauvin, 44, the now-former officer who kneeled on Floyd's neck, was charged Friday with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

City News Service, Patch Editor Ashley Ludwig contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on the Temecula Patch