Protesters March In Calabasas For The Third Time

CALABASAS, CA — For the third time in a week, Calabasas marched for justice.

On Sunday, almost 200 residents of Calabasas and the greater Conejo Valley met at City Hall to protest the death of George Floyd, who died in custody after Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin placed his knee on his neck.

Chanting “Black Lives Matter!” “No justice, no peace!” “George Floyd!” and other names of African-Americans who have also died while in police custody, the gathering began at Calabasas City Hall, marched down Calabasas Road past cars honking in support, and returned to City Hall.

Similar peaceful rallies also took place on Wednesday and Thursday last week. Though the Lost Hills-Malibu Sheriff’s Station was not available for comment, Calabasas Spokesperson Michael Russo said that he had not heard any reports of violence, injuries, or damage. Russo also said that he had not heard reports of further rallies planned in the city.

Though there have been no reports of city officials marching, the city has released two statements regarding the protests.

On Tuesday, Mayor Alicia Weintraub released a letter that was co-signed by Mayor Pro Tem James Bozajianand Councilmembers Fred Gaines, Mary Sue Maurer, and David J. Shapiro that condemned George Floyd’s death “in the strongest way possible,” and invited the community to discuss racism.

The letter also affirmed that while citizens have the right to peacefully protest, “violence and HATE of any kind are NEVER the answer.”

“We salute peaceful protestors. We salute law enforcement who have spoken out in support of George Floyd and we are here in support of all our residents,” the letter continued. “After all, when our liberties are not protected, any of us could have been George eight days ago.”

On Friday, Weintraub issued another statement that promised to “make sure that the conversation on race is not ignored in Calabasas.” Weintraub advocated on community programming related to racism, discrimination, and diversity.

“Calabasas has always been a community where we thrive on learning about our neighbors and educating ourselves on things with which we might not have personal experiences. Diversity is a sign of a community's strength,” said Weintraub.