Peaceful Danville Demonstration Held In Honor Of George Floyd

DANVILLE, CA — Dozens of protesters peacefully gathered in Danville Tuesday afternoon, calling for racial justice in the wake of George Floyd's death.

The demonstrators gathered on sidewalks at the intersection of Railroad Avenue and San Ramon Valley Boulevard, holding signs that read, "Black lives matter," "I stand with you," "No justice, no peace" and "Justice for George Floyd," a video posted by Danville Social shows.

Though the protest was initially canceled due to concerns that violent outsiders would try to hijack the event, all went smoothly, said town spokesperson Geoff Gillette.

Looting threats directed at Danville on social media prompted most downtown businesses to board up their windows Monday after looters struck Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek Sunday evening.

Danville police, Contra Costa Sheriff's deputies and other law enforcement officers staged at Community Presbyterian Church, Danville out of an abundance of caution, Gillette said. There was never a need to deploy the officers.

"We're very pleased that the event today went as well as it did," he said.

Additional officers remained on the street overnight and road closures were instituted around 8 p.m. — the start of curfew hours in Danville and Contra Costa County — to ensure law enforcement control the flow of traffic into the downtown area, Gillette said.

Danville businesses were safe come Wednesday morning.

Danville's demonstrations was one of many seen across the nation in recent days in honor of Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, who died after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, a 44-year-old white man, knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes. Chauvin pinned Floyd down after arresting him following a call reporting his suspected use of a counterfeit bill at a store. Floyd said he could not breathe during the encounter and had no pulse when he was taken into an ambulance.

The four Minneapolis police department officers at the scene were fired and former officer Chauvin has been charged with third-degree murder.

See a clip of the protest below, courtesy of DanvilleSocial.com: