Hundreds gather at Orange Plaza to protest police brutality
Hundreds of protesters who had gathered Saturday afternoon at the Orange Plaza to protest police brutality in response to the death of George Floyd split off after circling the plaza for more than four hours.
Roughly 150 protesters marched on Chapman Avenue, where they kneeled and held signs.
The other group also marched briefly away from the traffic circle, but returned a short time later and began to making laps once again, with police blocking traffic starting about 5:45 p.m.
More than 300 people showed up for the peaceful protest, which began at 1 p.m. Police posted a live feed of the protest, with a birdseye view on the circle, on YouTube.
Protesters held signs, some of which read “Black Lives Matter,” “Justice for George” and “Silence is Betrayal.”
They walked around the circle chanting “I can’t breathe!” and “Say his name! George Floyd!” while holding signs above their heads.
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Meanwhile, lines of vehicles passed through the circle, many of them stopping to interact with the protesters, some while also holding signs while hanging out passenger windows or sunroofs. It was the largest demonstration at the plaza in recent memory.
Orange police were monitoring and by 6 p.m. had not made any arrests or handed out any citations, Sgt. Phil McMullin said.
OPD is present in the Plaza for a demonstration. We support the right to protest peacefully. We will not tolerate injury to any person or damage to our city. We recommend residents avoid the area. We have heard from many members of our community and appreciate your support.
— Orange Police Department (California) (@CityOfOrangePD) May 30, 2020
At one point, a confrontation between a protester and a police officer threatened to break the peace, but a man stepped between them then moved to the front of an angry group.
“If we get violent, everything we’re here for won’t matter,” Justin Frazier of Orange told the crowd.
A former U.S. Marine, he then knelt and prayed with an angry woman before later addressing the crowd from the back of a red pickup truck.
“As a black man, I want to say thank you for caring so much about me and my life,” Frazier said.
-“Say his name”
-“George Floyd”@ocregister pic.twitter.com/AMY5YE4i6m— Eric Anthony Licas (@EricLicas) May 30, 2020
With most of the protesters marching along Chapman or gone, police closed off the streets in the Plaza area to vehicles about 5:45 p.m. After 6, some protesters had returned and had continued marching past 7 p.m.
Sienna Corbin, 21, of Anaheim Hills, joined the protest along with her mother and two siblings with the message that everyone should be treated equally, she said.
“People are just kind of tired of having to live in fear and worry every time they step out of the door,” she said. “Everyone has to come together in the community no matter what their skin color.”
Giselle Bustrum, 55, of Orange, followed some of the protesters along Chapman Avenue to Tustin Avenue while filming in support from her SUV.
There are no more cars entering the roundabout police have blocked off the streets. @ocregister #GeorgeFloyd pic.twitter.com/gnA5eWMQQg
— Eric Anthony Licas (@EricLicas) May 31, 2020
“What I hope is accomplished is that we can finally put an end to all of this racism and when someone is killed by a police officer, they are arrested immediately,” Bustrum said. “If this was a normal citizen (instead of a police officer), they would be arrested immediately.”
Other protests in Fullerton and Santa Ana also took place Saturday, some of the first since Floyd’s death Monday in Minneapolis, when a police officer pressed his knee to Floyd’s neck for several minutes.
That officer, identified as Derek Chauvin, was charged with third degree murder and second degree manslaughter Friday. Three other officers, who were also at the scene of Floyd’s death, were fired.