Thousands March In Simi Valley To Protest Police Brutality, City Official's Facebook Comments

SIMI VALLEY (CBSLA) -- Protestors took to the streets in Simi Valley on Saturday in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, following the deadly arrest of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

For complete coverage of the situation in Minneapolis visit CBSMinnesota.com and stream CBSN Minnesota. 

They also voiced their grievances over a Facebook post made by Mayor Pro Tem Mike Judge.

Judge shared a post on his Facebook page Monday, which read, "Wanna stop the riots? Mobilize the septic tank trucks, put a pressure cannon on 'em, and hose 'em down. The end."

Judge -- who is also 30-year veteran with the LAPD -- said the meme was a joke meant to poke fun at the face mask debate.

He wrote a caption at the top of the meme that read, "This is brilliant. It will also enforce the mask rule."

Judge has since deleted the post and apologized, but protestors still voiced concern. The large crowd gathered peacefully as California Highway Patrol officers looked on, blocking nearby freeway on ramps. Demonstrators walked a little over two miles to city hall.

Steve Morrow said he brought his sons to the protest to show them the importance of standing up for what you believe in, and that the fight isn't over.

"I want my sons to be a part of this," he said. "I want them to know that they matter. They are the future for us, and in order for them to be able to progress and grow, we have to do something to make sure that they can."

Morrow's son, Ray, said he happy to see the show of support from his community.

"It shows that the community is coming together for a common cause, and I like seeing that," he said. "This is definitely a good example of what we need to be doing in the future."

People of all ages and races joined the crowd as they chanted, held signs, and made their way through the city.

"This kind of brought out the fire from me, as an old white guy, to get out there and support my friends of color," said Arnold Levin, another protestor.

The chanting stopped for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, the duration George Floyd was pinned down before dying at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer. Protestors also took a knee against police brutality and racial injustice.

Despite rumors of counter protestors, the demonstration remained calm, as protestors expected it would. They did not want their message to get lost.

"If we can change our thinking, then we can change our actions," Levin said.