Protests held around the South Valley amid George Floyd's death

Sunday, June 7, 2020
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Outside the steps of the Hanford Civic Auditorium, young people from across the South Valley kneeling in support of black lives everywhere.

The scene is all too familiar for sisters Daina and Dorriane Martin of Hanford, who took part in another Black Lives Matter protest back in 2016.
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"It's been happening more and more so people are becoming aware, and this is what the result is," Daina said.

Dorriane says she's tired of seeing videos of members of the black community being mistreated.

"We've gone through 400 years of oppression," she said. "It's like, it's 2020. Can we stop now?"

Saturday's protest was led by young people and drew a crowd from across Central California.



"We've grown up with seeing a lot of the police brutality within our generation, and I think it's important for us to finally speak out and show it to the older generations, the younger generations what we stand for," says Jheniffer Talaveira.
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"Instead of putting bombs, instead of looting, instead of rioting, you take action in this type of way," says Dr. Crysyal Jackson with the NAACP Kings and Tulare Counties.

In Visalia, young people marched along Caldwell Avenue and Mooney Boulevard. Local organizers like Jordan Ragsdale hope this movement goes beyond the current moment in history.

"After this, we're going to keep fighting, keep signing the petitions, you know, support black-owned businesses, support your black peers, support the black people in your workplace," Ragsdale said. "It goes way further than your protest and your sign."

Saturday's protests in the South Valley were peaceful.
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