Black Lives Matter protest held Saturday in Paso Robles
–Black Lives Matter conducted another demonstration Saturday at the Downtown City Park in Paso Robles. About 30 demonstrators convened at the park around 6:30 p.m. They walked single-file around the park, carrying signs and chanting.
They stopped in a long line on the west side of the park facing diners at outdoor restaurants across the street. Occasionally the chanted BLM slogans, “Stop Racist Cops,” and “No justice, no peace.” Mostly they stood silently and stared at the restaurant customers and employees. After about 20 minutes, they walked single file to the other side of the park and did the same on 13th street to the restaurant customers on the other side of the park. Then, they marched single-file through the park and gathered at the gazebo for a few short speeches.
Paso Robles Police Chief Ty Lewis watched the protest from the center of the park. He was joined by two officers.
Paso Robles Police Chief Ty Lewis watched the protest from the center of the park. He was joined by two officers. At either end of the protesters, legal observers from the National Lawyer’s Guild wearing lime green vests noted the conduct of police officers and media. They would not answer questions or talk with either the police or media, but took pictures of them and made notations in notebooks.
A shouting match occurred near the end of the demonstration when some diners yelled at the protesters, “All Lives Matters.” They were shouted down by protesters who chanted, “Black Lives Matter.”
Police Chief Lewis and another officer walked over to the two diners and encouraged them to leave the park to avoid a disturbance.
At either end of the protesters, legal observers from the National Lawyer’s Guild wearing lime green vests noted the conduct of police officers and media.
Chief Lewis said the recent estimate of the cost of all the BLM protests did not include many other costs. A county estimate put the cost to taxpayers at $825,000, but Lewis says that doesn’t consider the time salaried employees give to policing the protests. For instance, Lewis was not compensated for the several hours he spent last night watching the demonstration.
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