Redwood City is preparing for a planned demonstration at City Hall Tuesday.
The protest over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody is scheduled to take place at 4 p.m., the city said. Today, images of businesses boarding up their businesses were posted to social media.
“The Redwood City Police Department is actively preparing for this event and will have a strong presence to provide for the safety of demonstrators, law enforcement, and the Redwood City community,” the city said in a statement.
Mayor Diane Howard said her city has a “long history of peaceful and respectful protests” and expects Tuesday’s demonstration “to be no different.” The mayor encouraged community members wishing to attend to wear face covering and practice physical distancing to avoid the spread of COVID-19.
The city also said it would respect the right to protest but would not tolerate violence, vandalism and lawlessness.
In a recent statement, Redwood City Police Chief Dan Mulholland expressed outrage and anger at watching the Minneapolis officers’ treatment of Floyd, offered condolences to the Floyd family and encouraged the community “to find peaceful ways to unify and heal from this tragedy.”
“Additional violence and destruction is not the answer and only serves to further erode who we are and what we stand for as a society,” Mullholland said. Read his full statement here.
