[dropcap size=big]O[/dropcap]n Sunday, hundreds of Whittier locals gathered last-minute in Uptown to march for justice George Floyd and to support Black Lives Matter. Two days later, on Black Tuesday for hundreds more filled Whittier’s Central Park and marched down the tree-lined streets through the scenic business district to City Hall and the police station.
The peaceful protestors shouted hard, their cries of “I can’t breathe!” “No justice, no peace!” and “Black Lives Matter!” rang out in the otherwise quiet streets of Uptown Whittier, a historically conservative city that hosted its first Pride festival just last Fall.
It’s a big deal for Whittier to see such unprecedented numbers of locals take to its pretty tree-lined streets to demand an end to the racist police state and to specifically address anti-Black racism. At least two more Whittier protests are planned for this week, each planned by different organizers who range from graduating La Serna and area high school students to local politicians running for state and city offices.