Home » Santa Clarita News » Community News » Local Activists Organize Separate Peaceful Black Lives Matter Protest, Drawing Hundreds To Bridgeport
Black Lives Matter Protest Santa Clarita Bridgeport 3
Devon Miller / KHTS News

Local Activists Organize Separate Peaceful Black Lives Matter Protest, Drawing Hundreds To Bridgeport

After a rumor of looting and out-of-towners coming to Santa Clarita on Thursday, local activists planned a separate peaceful Black Lives Matter protest in Bridgeport.

PROTEST AT BRIDGEPORT: Over 100 have gathered for separate peaceful Black Lives Matter protest is underway at Bridgeport Park in Valencia.Read More: http://www.hometownstation.com/santa-clarita-news/community-news/hundreds-of-protestors-gather-throughout-valencia-thursday-330688

Posted by KHTS Radio on Thursday, June 4, 2020

 

The viral social media post claiming over 800 protesters are “being bussed into Santa Clarita” sparked a large response from the community, from boarded-up businesses to a local emergency and 6 p.m. curfew for Thursday which was later rescinded.

Those rumors are what sparked young, local activists to plan a separate protest — a few miles away — marching from Bridgeport Park to the corner of McBean Parkway and Newhall Ranch Road.

Megan Duncan, one of the organizers, moved to Santa Clarita from Virginia when she was young, and experienced a “culture shock.”

“When I moved out here, I noticed there are not a lot of black people,” Duncan said. “I am half black and half white, and I experienced some issues. It is important for this community to understand why we are here today.”

Black Lives Matter Protest Santa Clarita Bridgeport 1

Devon Miller / KHTS News

Duncan is demonstrating to pave the way for a better future for her younger brother, and all others that come after her.

“For my little brother and my cousins, they need to know that they are loved and that they are heard,” Duncan said.

The local organizer spoke about the rumors spread on social media, adding they were possibly spread to stop people from coming to the protest.

“A lot of rumors were spread to try and scare people,” Duncan said. “There was going to be a lot of police and possibly the National Guard at the other location, safety was my No. 1 priority.”

Devon Miller / KHTS News

Sebastian Cazares, another local activist, was involved with the organizing for the peaceful protest on Saturday near Valencia Boulevard and McBean Parkway but said that the same group of local residents is not involved with the protest Thursday.

“This protest at Bridgeport is local, 100 percent peaceful, and mostly students and young people,” Cazares said. “The other one has a lot of misinformation around it.”

Cazares added the Santa Clarita City Council’s reaction to the social media post was an “aggressive response” to a post he said was not credible.

“A lot of those origins about rioters and looters seem to be fabricated,” Cazares. “The vast majority of people here do not want any issues.”

Black Lives Matter Protest Santa Clarita Bridgeport 7

Devon Miller / KHTS News

Harry Reed, 70, spoke to the demonstrators about his decades of activism after getting involved with the civil rights movement “by accident” in 1964.

“I was in Louisiana when I was refused service at a restaurant,” Reed said. “Wound up working with a civil rights attorney until the Ku Klux Klan discovered who I was and what I was doing, and literally ran me out of town.”

The KKK then blew up the office Reed worked in and tried to kill him for the civil rights work, he said.

“But I am still here,” Reed said to the crowd of young demonstrators. “You have the courage to turn out for what you believe is right, and I applaud you for that.’

Black Lives Matter Protest Santa Clarita Bridgeport 6

Devon Miller / KHTS News

City Attorney Joseph Montes said during the emergency city council meeting there was “credible evidence” that a large protest was going to occur, supporting the local emergency.

The City of Santa Clarita later reminded the 6 p.m. curfew adding, “In light of the peaceful protests, we have seen today in our City, and in consultation with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the City of Santa Clarita is rescinding the curfew for this evening.”

After hours of demonstrating, the Bridgeport protest has not had any reports of crime or confrontations with law enforcement, all peaceful protests, according to organizers.

When asked for a message she wanted to spread to the community Duncan had one thing to say.

“Just listen and try to be as open as possible,” Duncan said. “Take away any preconceived notions you may have, good or bad.”

Devon Miller / KHTS News


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Local Activists Organize Separate Peaceful Black Lives Matter Protest, Drawing Hundreds To Bridgeport

16 comments

  1. Bricks in hedges and pipe bombs. Sounds like a risky protest to attend. Thank you LE & National Guard for keeping everyone safe!!! Thankful the bomb was found before it was set off. We love our LE!!!

  2. If you truly believe that there is no more racism, then you live a very sheltered life and need to be educated. Everything that you just said is demeaning to people of color and incredibly patronizing. How is it that you think you know better? I am a white woman and I am very aware of the predjudice that goes on in our society, towards black people, tribal nations, other ethnicities, women, people with special needs and the elderly (which has become very apparent during COVID-19 when people don’t seem to care that they are spreading a disease that only affects the elderly.) You should be ashamed saying that black people need to try harder. The systemic problems in our society are the fault of our society as a whole, and it is something that needs to be addressed and worked on. My name is Karen by the way, and I am not a racist!!!

    • You are brainwashed Karen get a clue. They are just as capable as the rest of the races no more boo hoo poor me. I don’t see any other races complaining and the jail are full of mostly Hispanic. You are an enabler

  3. Such ignorant comments from such ignorant people. Even this story from the publisher is completely ridiculous! So many cowards afraid of their own shadows! Stop listening to the bs and learn to think for yourselves.

  4. Look at the white idiots holding up BLM signs. Useful idiots. Whites are so easily manipulated. That’s what happens when the news lies and only will show you enough to get you riled up or change a video to make it look like something else. The news media is the group of hate not most white people. I have yet to see a white person treat a black person with hate.

  5. You are part of the problem your a racist

  6. Lost, confused, and brainwashed idiots. #NoClue. Thank you law enforcement for all you do.

  7. Unfortunately many protesters are just going along with the strategic and purposeful tactics of those desiring to create division and turmoil in our society at large. Is there some amount of racism in societies between groups? Unfortunately yes, and not just black vs white and white vs black. Was George Floyd murdered at the hands of a while police officer? Yes, and he should be prosecuted fully for murder. But it is not at all what this effort to destabilize our society is saying it is. Please people, don’t blindly follow along with what you’re being fed. Do your own research. The TRUTH shows since 2015 through 2019, killings by police officers: 1) Has gone down for both white and black suspects, 2) every year more white suspects are killed (almost twice as many) as black suspects 3) 75% of police shootings are not at black suspects. There are more facts available that go in more depth. Facts are facts, not opinions or feeling. Do your homework before following in line with lies. Wash Post, Wall Street Journal where alot of this data is available, and these are left leaning publications, not ‘right wing bias’. Wake up young people!

    • Dave, having done my own research, let me help you out here- The Wall Street Journal is controlled by Rupert Murdoch via Dow Jones Publications which in turn is owned by Murdoch’s News Corp., the parent company of Harper-Collins and Fox News which is hyper-partisan right leaning.

  8. She isn’t the only African American to feel this way. Talk to African American police officers, Marines, firefighters, teachers, nurses. They share identical views as this brave woman in the video. Thank you for sharing video.

    AwesomeTown is notorious for jumping on any trendy bandwagon. But ultimately do zero once it’s not hip any longer to post on a social media. Hence, majority teenagers protesting.

  9. I wanted to share a heartwarming story about Santa Clarita.

    On March 22, 2020, a single mother reached out on Nextdoor. She said she was in need. As a mother of three children, two disabled this mom was having difficulty getting groceries because of COVID-19 and not wanting to infect her children who had health issues. She shared photographs of herself and her children. There was an immediate outpouring of support and offers of help from the Valencia neighbors. One woman tried to order supplies to be delivered. Because all the grocery stores had ten day out delivery windows, that neighbor called the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s department for advice. They took all the information and the Sheriff’s themselves made sure the young mother got what she needed. The mom happens to be African American. This is a wonderful community made up of many caring and thoughtful people. We are lucky to have such a wonderful Sheriff’s Department too.

  10. Keri, you sure know a lot of people.

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About Devon Miller

Devon Miller was born and raised in Santa Clarita. He joined KHTS Radio as a digital marketing intern in September of 2017, and later moved to news as a staff writer in December. Miller attended College of the Canyons and served as the Associated Student Government President. Miller is now News Director for KHTS, covering breaking news and politics across the Santa Clarita Valley.