• Peaceful Protest March In Lake Elsinore

Very warm weather greeted the marchers/protesters at a Stand Up For Justice rally in downtown Lake Elsinore.

This had participation by the community, the city and our police. Though Wildomar Rap is usually confined to things that happen within our city limits, our city was invited to participate too, and I gladly attended. 

Around noon at Main Street Park.

They had the various city representatives go to the front. While there, I took this photo.

My imperfect crowd estimation abilities pegged the number of people present at about 300ish (give or take 50, but I reserve the right to be wrong here ☺). 

Before the march to The Cultural Center started.

It started at Main Street Park and after a few words by the organizers, and the Mayor of Lake Elsinore Brian Tisdale, the march to Lake Elsinore's Cultural center began. 

Plenty of police presence throughout the area.

There was a stop at the halfway mark where the Mayor spoke again, and Captain Lujan (who doubles as both Wildomar's and Lake Elsinore's Chief of Police). 

Antoinette Rootsdawtah is at the mic while Lieutenant Kent looks on.

Once the march got to The Cultural Center, the microphone was opened to any that would like to address the crowd. There were many inspiring speakers with stories and ideas that needed to be heard.

This blog entry isn't going to get deep into opinion here, but I will say that there were several young people that shouted some slogans you've probably heard on the news.

Unrealistic things like "Defund the police" were shouted by a few, though I never heard it repeated by the crowd.

Then something I wasn't expecting happened when one speaker identified himself as Matthew from the Inland Empire chapter of Black Lives Matters. He then went on to say they don't support the event because the organizers didn't follow their guidelines. 

Wildomar resident and wife of a policeman, Ashlee Diphillippo, was part of the march. Her sign read: Police Wives for Black Lives. I saw several other Wildomar residents in attendance too.

Though this event had police participation, he went on to say that his organization doesn't support the police in anyway, doesn't want to work with the police in anyway and that their goal is to abolish the police.

That's just sad. 

Seriously. 

I'm not going to get into what kind of Kafkaesque hellscape our world would become without law enforcement, because it should be self evident. 

I fully understand the necessity for a paradigm shift so that people of color do not fear the police. We're one large community made up of dozens of smaller communities. When one is hurting, we are all hurting. 

I didn't have my own poster, but if I would've had one it would have been a remake of the one seen to the left in this image. I get the point of the first poster, but I reject the premise. "Not All" is very insulting in my book. "Very Few" is far more accurate and doesn't hit you in the teeth as it delivers a backhanded compliment.

Antoinette Rootsdawtah, one of the organizers of the event, spoke right after Matthew and reminded the crowd that everyone would be given the right to voice their opinion. She went further saying, "We want to work with the police to ensure our safety." 

If you have facebook, please see the entire clip as it happened. 

Here is a link to a two hour video that was shared by Antoinette on Facebook. If you want to see this part, it begins around the 47 minute mark. 

On the march back to the park.

The windows in the downtown Lake Elsinore businesses were boarded up. Many had artwork painted on them. If we want a better world, working together is the only way to achieve it.

One of the more original signs I saw during the protest. If you can't read it, it says, "Fight against racism like you fought 4 haircuts... Karen."

One of the businesses along the route.

 Pato Banton, the man in white with the megaphone, led most of the march and did a very inspiring job of it.

Though the temps were in the mid 90s, everyone seemed to stay well hydrated.

I was proud to represent our city at this event, and there will be another one this Saturday, 10:30am at The Cultural Center again. See flyer for details.

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I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”

– Martin Luther King, Jr 

Wildomar Rap is eager for that time to be now. 

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