There was a brief standoff as police in riot gear from the Davis Police Department and CHP blocked access to I-80 on Sunday afternoon.
Earlier the City and Police Department issued a statement:
STATEMENT FROM DAVIS CITY COUNCIL AND CITY LEADERSHIP
The death of George Floyd is nothing less than tragic and horrifying. There is no legitimate police practice that allows officers to hold a person in the way Mr. Floyd was restrained. What the officers did is a crime and should be punished as such – justice demands nothing less. The actions of those officers in Minneapolis are simply indefensible. What we witnessed was an abuse of power, and it cannot be tolerated.
The Davis Police Department has strict policies in place that prohibit a person from being restrained the way that George Floyd was, and for exactly the reasons that we all witnessed. The members of the Davis Police Department are also shocked and saddened by what transpired. There is a strong commitment to denounce what happened and to speak about it openly so that we can build lasting trust. It is a difficult conversation, but one that must be had. All police, in Davis and across the nation, must do better to ensure that nothing like this happens again. There are no excuses for accepting less. There is no conversation too difficult to have.
The hurt, anguish and outrage we are seeing across the country these last few days is justified. George Floyd should not have died at the hands of officers. We cannot silence those who are angry and must speak out. Speaking out is something that must be done. It creates productive ways to express empathy, sadness, anger and effect change. What we must not do is resort to violence and judgment. Attacking and demeaning each other and destroying property detracts from our strength, which is most needed at this time. In the spirit of community and friendship, we urge everyone in the City of Davis to stand together against violence, racism and hate.
Mayor Brett Lee
Mayor Pro Tempore Gloria Partida
Councilmember Lucas Frerichs
Councilmember Will Arnold
Councilmember Dan Carson
Davis City Manager Mike Webb
Davis Police Chief Darren Pytel
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I am very much a believer in the right to protest. And in these times there should and must be protest.
There is not going to be unity about who is actually causing the burning, destruction and looting. There are probably all sorts of stripes doing this, fueled by multiple motives. I don’t consider that the meaning nor intent of most actual protestors.
What I can’t condone by actual protestors is these stupid tendency to walk a group out onto a freeway – and in Davis it always seems the gateway to this is past the Shell station at Olive/Richards. So good for the cops for blocking this. Did y’all really think the cops haven’t figured out by now Davis-protest-group-think? Y’all so predictable! At least after the 60’s, people figured out it wasn’t productive to stand on railroad tracks, cuz the train literally can’t stop in time. oops.
I wonder if the new tight-diamond formation at Richards will physically discourage this protest valve onto the freeway?
The other one was/is the Old Davis Road / UCD ramps… a few years ago…
Biden calls protests “right and necessary.” Wealthy leftists paying for bail to release those arrested for rioting and looting.
If you own a small business and/or care at all about your country and society in general, pay attention to which side of politics the riots and looting derive from and are supported from. These violent young people, many from upper-middle class families, had pallets of bricks delivered and were wearing matching black t-shirts and black masks. This is a well-coordinated and well-funded attack on America from within.
Yes Jeff, I saw that too. Pallets of bricks being placed in riot areas. This was called out by a black protester who felt their cause was being hijacked by fringe groups.
What we do and don’t know about the extremists taking part in riots across the US
https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/31/politics/outside-influence-extremists-riots-us/index.html
(CNN)Law enforcement and federal officials say outside elements from both far-right and far-left groups are helping fuel the violent and damaging confrontations that have marred protests across the country in recent days…
While Trump and Barr have focused on Antifa, the FBI and other agencies are tracking groups from both the extremist right and left involved in the riots and attacks on police.
Federal law enforcement officials tell CNN they are aware of organized groups who are seeking to carry out the property destruction and violence, using the cover of the legitimate protests in Minneapolis and elsewhere. Those domestic extremist groups include anarchists, anti-government groups often associated with far-right extremists and white supremacy causes, and far-left extremists who identify with anti-fascist ideology.
In the past, some of the groups have been known to organize and travel specifically to confront police and destroy property, according to federal law enforcement officials, who say they’ve seen a similar pattern in Minneapolis and other cities where protests have turned violent in recent days.
…
The FBI and other federal agencies are working with local authorities to track social media posts and other communications to identify those who have crossed state lines to carry out violence. Federal officials say they believe there is an amalgam of groups showing up in protests from the extremist left and right that normally oppose each other but see common cause in attacking the police and the government.
…
Acting Senate Intelligence Chairman Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican, said Saturday that the outsiders included “a rogues gallery of terrorists from Antifa to ‘Boogaloo’ groups encouraging and committing violence.” Boogaloo is a group often associated with far-right extremist ideology that wants to initiate a civil war. Rubio tweeted that the groups were not “ideologically compatible but share a hatred of govt & police & are taking advantage of the protests.”
“Many of these professional agitators don’t fit a simple left vs right identity,” Rubio said. “They are part of a growing anti-government extremist movement. They hate law enforcement & want to tear the whole system down even if it requires a new civil war.”
What local officials are saying
Minnesota officials said this weekend white supremacists and others were mixing in with legitimate protestors. Authorities there are looking at connections between those arrested and white supremacist organizers who have posted online about coming to Minnesota. Officials have also tracked messages about seeking to loot and whether there was a connection to organized crime.
….
Foreign influence looms, too
Allegations of foreign influence attempting to influence and stoke the disruption in the US have quickly followed the violence coming out of the protests. O’Brien pointed to Chinese social media messages gloating about the chaos. On ABC’s “This Week,” he also acknowledged some Russian activists and mentioned Zimbabwe and Iran.
But the role and effectiveness of foreign actors is hard to measure — some suggest their role is additive, not initiating any unrest.
Rubio, who was appointed acting Intelligence Committee chairman earlier this month, tweeted Saturday he was seeing “VERY heavy social media activity on #protests & counter reactions from social media accounts linked to at least 3 foreign adversaries.”
Rubio may have been basing some of his information on analysis from Graphika, a company that helped the committee with its report on Russia’s social media influence during the 2016 elections. Graphika CEO John Kelly sent information to Senate Intelligence Committee leadership on Saturday, which was obtained by CNN.
“Yes, we are seeing very active engagement with the issue from clusters of social accounts in the social media influence networks of Russia, Iran, and China,” Kelly said. “Our team is actively monitoring the situation now, including growing activity around the ‘Boogaloo’ movement, which is pushing for a ‘Second American Civil War.'”
Yep… my read, too…
Jeff
Two problems with your post.
1. Bailing out protestors who have been arrested is not the same thing as bailing out those responsible for the destruction of property. That will need to be settled on a case by case basis. Just as the two journalists who have lost eyes were not rioting or lotting, but still have sustained permanent damage.
2. Neither you nor I know the ideologic positions of those who “ordered bricks” in order to sow further destruction & discord. Certainly, they do not represent the majority of protestors, yet you want to ascribe motives to them prematurely.