Eighth Day Of George Floyd Protests In Oakland Ends Peacefully
OAKLAND (KPIX 5) -- Protests over systemic racism and the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody continued into its eighth day in Oakland Thursday as large crowd held a sit-in outside of City Hall.
By Thursiday night, it was completely cleared at Frank Ogawa Plaza, for the first time in about a week.
The peaceful sit-in protest started in the afternoon in the plaza before protesters got up and marched through the streets of Oakland.
Organizers of this protest made it clear from the start it was going to be peaceful and they didn't want any violence or destruction of property.
"We've been feeling a lot of love. A lot of people unite against a system that's been systematically suppressing us for a long time," said Diana, a protester.
This protest brought out a lot of families with young children. Valeria Griffin brought her five-year-old daughter.
"This is history and I think it's important for them to see what the protest is," said Griffin.
The protesters looking for an end to systemic racism and equality for all.
"We matter/ Our lives, what we go for, it matters. And we are just as human as everybody else," said Aniya Griffin.
"I just think everyone's equal and we should all be treated the same," added Kayla Griffin.
Even doctors and nurses from Highland Hospital gathered at City Hall with a message of their own.
"There's no question that systemic racism is a problem within healthcare," said nurse Dara Khan.
The crowd slowly started dispersing around 8 p.m. Thursday night even though a curfew is no longer in place in Oakland.
