Another protest against police brutality in the wake of the in-custody death of George Floyd in Minnesota will happen in the Coachella Valley Thursday evening, this time in front of City Hall in Cathedral City.
Nicole Smith of La Quinta organized the demonstration, her third in three days following peaceful gatherings in La Quinta on Tuesday and in Rancho Mirage on Wednesday.
The 21-year-old said her goal was to promote peaceful protesting that unites with law enforcement.
“We want to get the message across that we can be one if we just stop racism, stop stereotyping and we stop seeing color,” she told City News Service. “Once we stop seeing color, everything will be OK.”
Roughly 125 people showed up Wednesday at Rancho Mirage Community Park and marched to Highway 111, mostly staying on sidewalks, then returning to the park. The protest was a doubling from her effort on Tuesday in La Quinta, which saw about 60 people attend.
“So today I’m shooting for 200,” she said.
Smith said a sergeant with the Cathedral City Police Department reached out to her Thursday morning to coordinate logistics for the protest. Smith said she declined an offer of setting up roadblocks because the triple-digit heat on tap for the day will most likely deter long-distance marching.
Thursday’s planned demonstration follows a week of similar efforts across the valley.
In Palm Springs Monday morning, upwards of 50 demonstrators gathered on a downtown street corner where no problems were reported.
Later on Monday, several hundred protesters ventured into the middle of a street near Palm Desert City Hall, where they held a brief moment of silence while taking a knee in response to the death of Floyd. The group marched toward the city’s upscale shopping district, where they were met by sheriff’s deputies clad in riot gear before turning back to the original protest location.
No violence was reported in the demonstration, which grew to about 500 people at its peak, although at least six people were arrested for violating the countywide curfew in place from Monday night to Tuesday morning, along with other crimes not related to protesting.
Floyd, who was unarmed and unresisting, was killed May 25 when a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes while hee was handcuffed and on the ground. He had allegedly passed a counterfeit $20 bill.
The officer directly involved in his death is facing a second-degree murder charge. Three other officers at the scene have been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.
Floyd’s death has triggered more than a week of unrest across the nation.