Dozens of Santa Clarita residents came out to the corner of McBean Parkway and Valencia Boulevard Monday afternoon to voice their support for local law enforcement.

On Monday, dozens of residents gathered at the intersection of Valencia Blvd. and McBean Pkwy. to take part in what one participant dubbed a “Support Law Enforcement Rally.”

“There’s so much going on and so much negativity, and it’s all based on the negative stories that are out there, but there’s a lot of positive stories that law enforcement officers do,” said one of the organizers of the rally who only gave his first name of Ed. “So that’s what we’re trying to do is get the word out there. We’re just trying to stand up for law enforcement.”

The rally took place at the same intersection where multiple Black Lives Matter protests have taken place over the past several weeks in Santa Clarita, a decision which several participants said was deliberate.

“There is no systemic racism among police officers,” said one participant who only gave his first name of Max. “The reality is, if people were to do their due diligence and do research, there is ample empirical evidence to support that it does not exist. It’s a false narrative.”

Photo by Michael Brown/KHTS News.

Max went on to state that he believed supporting law enforcement should be a “bipartisan issue,” as he sees law enforcement officials as the “frontline defense against chaos and anarchy.”

“Unfortunately, those of us who support them aren’t as politically activised as the opposition, so we’re here to show our support,” he said. “This unending war, this vilification of law enforcement has depressed morale nationwide among law enforcement officers. We’re here to show them that we have their backs, we value their sacrifice. They go out and put their lives on the line every day to keep us out of harm.”

Despite disagreeing with some of the viewpoints expressed by Black Lives Matter protesters, Ed expressed that he respected their right to peacefully protest.

“This is the United States,” he said. “We’re supposed to protest if, depending on our opinion, we don’t like something.”

See Related: Valencia Protestors Call For The Resignation Of Councilman Bob Kellar

Ed also had a message to anyone who turned to violence during protests, quoting Mahatma Gandhi: “Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary.”

“If you do something with violence to gain the victory, you’re not going to win in the end,” he said. “Let’s just do it all peacefully.”

Another participant, who only gave his first name of Art, said that he was motivated to attend the rally after seeing the rising movement nationwide to “defund the police.”

“I know what those folks do each and every day,” Art, who retired from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department after 32 years of service, said. “There are bad cops, they’re in every agency, but they are minute in comparison to the number of men and women that do that job everyday.”

Both Ed and Max echoed Art’s sentiment, stating that while “bad cops” do exist, they believe that they are outnumbered by the amount of “good cops” in law enforcement.

“We just need to stand up for law enforcement officers and say, ‘Hey, listen, we know it’s hard times right now, we know a few people have made serious mistakes, but the majority of you guys, we need you and we support you.’”

Photo by Michael Brown/KHTS News.

Santa Clarita City Councilman Bob Kellar, who served with the Los Angeles Police Department for 25 years, was also in attendance, speaking to multiple participants at the rally.

“I appreciate it, and all our volunteers appreciate it,” Ed said. “He’s here personally saying thank you for your time. Since he was a former law enforcement officer, he’s here to show his appreciation.”

Several participants in the rally, including Art and Max, urged anyone calling for the defunding of the police to “think critically” about the consequences of such action.

“Can we imagine what kind of world that this might be without law enforcement?” Art asked. “The idea is crazy to me.”

Max encouraged residents to show support for law enforcement through small acts every day.

“When you see hard working men and women in law enforcement, whether it’s locally or down in the San Fernando Valley, downtown Los Angeles, or out of state, roll down your window, give them a smile,” he said. “Give them a thumbs up to let them know we appreciate them for everything they do for us.”

A similar rally is expected to take place at the same location on the afternoon Friday, July 3.

Photo by Michael Brown/KHTS News.

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