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A few hundred people marched down State Street on Sunday night in what was the second Santa Barbara protest in three weeks over police officer-involved killings of unarmed black men in Missouri and New York.
In recent weeks, grand juries in two states chose not to indict police officers in the incidents.
In Missouri, Ferguson police Officer Darren Wilson claims he fired in self-defense after 18-year-old Michael Brown attacked him in his squad car and tried to take his gun. Brown died at the scene.
In New York, 43-year-old Eric Garner died when he resisted arrest over alleged street sales of cigarettes on Staten Island. NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo put him in an apparent chokehold, a tactic the department had banned.
Both deaths and the lack of indictments stirred protests around the United States.
In Santa Barbara, demonstrators gathered for rally at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse on Sunday night. After more than an hour of speakers, the crowd marched down State Street to City Hall at 735 Anacapa St.
There were fewer people present than at the Nov. 25 demonstration, which authorities estimate drew around 500 protesters for a two-hour march around downtown.
Local activist Martin Leyva, who helped organize Sunday’s event, said City Hall is a place where people should be able to ask for protection, since the City Council funds the police force.
“This is an important time in our nation to stand up with our black brothers and sisters and keep the dialog going across the board,” he said.
Many speakers echoed the sentiments of the last protest, saying it’s a time for real change in the way black men and women are treated, particularly by those “in power.”
Brown and Garner are recent manifestations of a problem that “has been going on as long as this country has been going on, and longer,” said David Moore, lead pastor at New Covenant Worship Center, 821 State St.
“Police officers are agents on the ground for a system that puts out race-based injustice,” he said.
The point of the peaceful protest was not to hate or bash anyone, but to hold people in power accountable, Moore said.
“We live here,” he shouted. “We belong here. We are not invisible. We deserve to be heard!”
Another speaker said the lack of indictments for police officers involved in the Garner case is “a slap in the face.” He pointed out that Sunday night’s crowd was predominantly white, and suggested that was the reason why police weren’t nearby keeping an eye on the crowd at the courthouse.
Police motorcycle officers blocked traffic to clear streets while the crowd marched along, but they stayed out of sight while the group gathered at the courthouse and City Hall.
When the crowd got on the move again, heading back toward the courthouse, more police started staging in preparation of blocking traffic again. The group mostly dispersed by about 9:30 p.m., according to authorities.
— Noozhawk news editor Giana Magnoli can be reached at gmagnoli@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.