Protestors, LAPD Harbor Division March Together For Unity In San Pedro
SAN PEDRO (CBSLA) -- LAPD Chief Michel Moore and members of the department's Harbor Division joined protestors Saturday for a march of unity and solidarity in San Pedro.
About 500 individuals gathered to protest police brutality in the wake of the deadly arrest of George Floyd in Minneapolis. LAPD handed out roses to demonstrators in San Pedro and across Los Angeles, as Moore once again called for unity within the community.
"At times it's been a binary issue of one versus the other, and it's not that at all," he said. "Law enforcement knows, and I recognize in this profession, that we have done wrong. There have been instances of failure, but there's been so many instances of progress...we know we've got much more to do."
Dr. Cheyenne Bryant, president of the local NAACP chapter, said it was Harbor Division officers' idea to march together with civilians.
"If we continue to lock horns and not hands with anybody, we are not going to get resolution,"she said. "Without unity, there's no peace."
Although a majority of the protests and rallies over the past two weeks have remained peaceful, some have turned violent due to rising tensions between protestors and police. Officers in San Pedro acknowledged a strong bond with their community that led them to want to rebuild their trust.
"It breaks my heart," Sgt. Catherine Plows said. "It breaks my heart on so many levels. I was here in '92 for the riots, and I saw our city burn....watching our city burn again, it's heartbreaking."
The crowd focused on looking ahead and trying to make a change for future generations. One protestor said he brought his son out to march for that reason.
"It's disheartening that this is the country and the city that I love...but the greater good, the greater humanity, is coming out."
