How George Floyd’s Murder Ignited Solidarity in the Streets and California’s Reparations Movement

Even though the social unrest was more than a half-century apart, the catalyst was the same: police brutality. In the Bay Area, the protests began peacefully. Demonstrators marched on Broadway in Oakland on May 29, 2020, during a protest over the Minneapolis police murder of George Floyd. (Beth LaBerge/KQED) In Oakland four years ago, the energy was palpable. And that was before Brianna Noble showed up in style on a horse. My colleague, Beth LaBerge, took one of the photos of Noble that went viral as Noble led the march down Broadway. Anchored by LaBerge’s photos, this commentary documents the Oakland protests and examines what resulted from the weeks of racial uprisings that swept the Bay Area, California and America. Highways were shut down as peaceful protesters voiced their frustrations. People shouted, “Hands up, don’t shoot,” and “I can’t breathe” as they marched. They demanded a portion of city budgets reserved for policing be instead earmarked for community programs to address systemic issues such as poor schools and lack of opportunities. Most people wore masks because the pandemic was raging. But get this: the crowds were a representation of America, as Black, white, Latino and Asian people marched shoulder-to-shoulder for...