Crowd holds peaceful protest at major Menifee intersection

A crowd gathered at the corner of Newport and Haun roads today in a peaceful protest of police brutality. Staff photos by Doug Spoon

By Doug Spoon, Editor

About 100 people staged a peaceful protest today at a major intersection in Menifee, wearing black and carrying signs saying “Black Lives Matter”, “White Silence = Violence” and more.

The demonstration began at 10 a.m. with about five people on the northwest corner of Newport Road and Haun Road. The crowd had grown to about 40 by noon and had more than doubled a couple hours later, with protestors moving onto three of the four street corners and receiving horns of support from many passing motorists. By 7 p.m., all but about 10 people had left the area, and there were no signs of violence to local businesses or anywhere else.

The protest was one of many being held throughout the Inland Empire – and across the country – following a May 25 incident in which George Floyd, a black man, died after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt with his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes. Many protests which began peacefully turned violent in major U.S. cities Saturday night, but today’s Menifee protest remained peaceful.

Menifee Mayor Bill Zimmerman (left) approached the group less than an hour after the start of the protest to voice his support for the peaceful manner in which the protest was being conducted. Moments later, two Sheriff’s Department deputies joined the group and had peaceful conversations with the protestors for several minutes.

“I thought I’d come by and thank all these folks for demonstrating in the right way,” Zimmerman said. “They’re getting the message out that it’s unacceptable to have police brutality. We’re not going to stand for it. But we don’t have to loot and spray graffiti … that sends the wrong message."

Menifee of the protestors said they lived in Menifee, but several were from outlying areas.

“I believe there is racial injustice that we need to change, and change will happen,” said a young man who said he came to Menifee from the Canyon Hills community in Lake Elsinore to join the protest. “We are angry and we need to make our voices heard. We need racial equality for all.”

A woman who said she is a Menifee resident joined the protest when she noticed the group while driving to Target to pick up supplies for a vigil planned in Temecula for tonight. She said she was proud of the way the crowd was delivering their message in a peaceful manner and she was grateful for the gesture of the two deputies who came to speak to the protestors to show their support.

“That is a beginning because they are employed to protect and to serve us,” she said about the Sheriff’s deputies. “It’s important they show their support because that shows they don’t condone the behavior we saw this week.

“Silence is consent. Don’t be silent.”

As the protestors joined in chants and responded to the honks of passing vehicles, a white woman shouted to those around her to make her feelings heard.

“I will not sit here and let these white racist jerks do this to my brothers and sisters,” shouted the woman, who then addressed a black woman standing next to her. “I don’t care what you’ve done, I love you. I don’t care what color your skin is.”

A pastor with Faith Lutheran Church in the Sun City community said he heard about the protest on social media and wanted to lend his support to the cause.

“There’s different groups represented here,” the pastor said. “There’s a local official, there’s law enforcement, there’s clergy, there’s people of different races here. What we can do is be vulnerable, be open, to listen, and to give a voice to others who might not otherwise have one."

To view our video coverage of the demonstrations from earlier today, see the Menifee 24/7 Facebook page.

Two Sheriff's deputies engaged in a peaceful conversation with protestors early in the day.