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On Protests in San Luis Obispo
Let’s start with what many of us can agree on. Young people and people of color are motivated, energized and passionate over combating systemic racism, police brutality and misconduct. In our predominantly white county, a group of protests and organizations have successfully started a conversation on race and how SLO County, like every other county in this state and across the nation, should address racial inequality in their respective communities.
Right now, in SLO County, there is a clear deviation from the plainly stated purposes and goals that Black Lives Matter organizers have presented. But there are a number of reasons why protests are happening here.
SLO County Sheriff Ian Parkinson delivered remarks to a North San Luis Obispo County Tea Party meeting on July 6 that condemned the “violent protests” of the Black Lives Matter movement and characterized protests as a takeover of neighborhoods and communities. When he had an opportunity to clarify that he was only condemning the violent aspects of protests that veer away from the movement’s core message, Parkinson doubled down, saying there was no endgame or purpose of the protests “other than destruction.”
In June, Parkinson speculated that the suspect involved in a Paso Robles shooting spree in Paso Robles, in which four officers were injured, was motivated by recent protests. The…
