Peaceful protest for George Floyd held in Rancho Santa Fe

R. Roger Rowe student Fabiola Theberge at the peaceful protest on June 2.

June 4, 2020 1:24 PM PT

On June 2, about 40 Rancho Santa Fe families took part in a peaceful drive-through protest in the village over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Organized by R. Roger Rowe Middle School student Maya Alam, Maya’s mother Anita Lalani,
Aniqa Jaswal and Busi Mombaur, the group of cars lined up in the school parking lot and drove through the village around 5 p.m, honking horns and waving signs out the window.

The Rancho Santa Fe Patrol was notified in advance.

Four Minneapolis police officers were fired after Floyd’s death and former officer Derek Chauvin has been charged with second-degree murder after he was filmed kneeling on Floyd’s neck for eight minutes on May 25. On June 3 it was announced that the other three officers involved in the incident will face charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder.

Participants in Rancho Santa Fe's peaceful protest.

This week both the San Diego Police Department and the San Diego County Sherriff’s Department have announced they will no longer use a carotid restraint (compressing the sides of the neck) as a use-of-force procedure.

“In light of community concerns, and after consultation with many elected officials throughout the county, I am stopping the use of the carotid restraint by my deputies effective immediately,” said Sheriff Bill Gore in a statement. “I have and always will listen to any feedback about the public safety services we provide. Working together, we can ensure San Diego remains the safest urban county in the nation.”