SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif — Groups of demonstrators hit the streets in the San Diego area for an eighth straight day Friday, marching, chanting and holding protest signs aloft to honor the memory of George Floyd and to demand racial equity and an end to excessive force in the nation's policing.
Rallies began in Carlsbad and Escondido in the mid-afternoon, with similar gatherings expected to materialize in Oceanside, San Diego and other communities later in the day, authorities said.
There were no reports of violence or arrests in connection with the protests as of 2:30 p.m.
Though police use-of-force demonstrations in La Mesa and downtown San Diego last weekend devolved into looting and rioting after dark, daily protests since Sunday have remained largely peaceful, resulting in few arrests and only minor acts of vandalism.
Nonetheless, some 200 members of the California National Guard were deployed this week to the county in an attempt to prevent any recurrences of destructive chaos, with about half of the personnel sent to La Mesa.
- 7 p.m.
Dozens of protesters gathered Friday night outside Escondido City Hall. The protest remains peaceful, and police are conducting traffic control to keep protesters safe.
Earlier reports indicated, protesters in Escondido have walked onto the freeway at the interchange of Interstate 15 and Highway 78. The Sheriff's Department is responding.
Escondido, CA at 2 p.m.
One of several protests planned in San Diego County for Friday got underway in Escondido around 2 p.m. The Black Lives Matter protest gathered at Escondido City Hall.
"This is a non-violent protest," read a flyer posted on social media about the march. "Justice for the countless lives cut short because of police brutality in the U.S."
Carlsbad, CA at 2 p.m.
Another protest march began at 2 p.m. in Carlsbad. Social media posts for the afternoon event show that it is planned for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. This Black Lives Matter Protest is expected to start at the cross street of Carlsbad Village Drive and Highway 101.
Due to "the potential for a peaceful protest,'' Carlsbad Boulevard will be closed between Cannon Road and Carlsbad Village Drive from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., according to Carlsbad police.
