Change is needed. So a Sacramento filmmaker organized a huge George Floyd march

It’s been a month since George Floyd was killed by police in Minneapolis. The death of another unarmed black man led to demonstrations across the country and in every state.

But what changes have the protests led to?

Seven days before 51,000 people showed up to the Golden 1 Center in downtown Sacramento, Deon Taylor was organizing with community members in a church on Florin Road. He wanted to plan a peaceful march, emphasizing to all those involved that destructive behavior would not be tolerated. The goal was to inform young people and people of color about how they can enact change by being aware of the laws, legislators and voting dates in their counties.

Taylor called on friends from both of his careers, as a filmmaker and former professional athlete, to help spread the word. Two days before the event, Taylor said he expected around 5,000 people to show. Then he received a message from a San Francisco organizer. She asked what time her group of 2,000 should arrive.

Taylor, who was born in Chicago and moved to Sacramento while he was in high school, said he had the idea for the peaceful demonstration when he was home watching storefronts in downtown Sacramento being broken into on the news. He said he knew the media and those opposing the protests would highlight that aspect of the day, causing the message behind the protest to be lost by the actions of a few.

Crowds began filling the streets near Golden 1 Center by 8 a.m. on June 6. The march was scheduled to begin at 10 a.m., and by that time there were thousands of people gathered. Multi-generational families of different backgrounds and races showed up to march, listen and learn while showing their support for Black lives. Masks and water were available at stations, as well as first aid and police.

Police presence wasn’t as daunting as it was six nights before, when police and protesters faced off. Officers had fired rubber bullets into crowds and tear gassed protesters after an 8 p.m. curfew was enacted. Despite the curfew, marches around Sacramento persisted for the next five days.

Signs and flags waved through the air and could be seen for miles, many mentioning the names George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery. Notable speakers included Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, Vivek Ranadivé, chairman of the Sacramento Kings, and Sacramento Police Chief Daniel Hahn.

Taylor believes that George’s death touched so many due to it’s “primal” nature. Unlike so many other Black men killed publicly, Floyd was not shot in a moment of heightened anxiety and purported fear. No, Dereck Chauvin knelt calmly on Mr. Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes as he took his last breaths.

As a result, cities across America are considering the practices and funding of their own police departments. “This country is built on people banding together and making change. There have been over twelve laws changed. Twelve laws have been changed in twenty days,” Taylor pointed out when speaking to the impact of protests.

Taylor described this moment as the “perfect storm” that forced Americans to see their country through a lens that exposed long-standing institutionalized violence against Black Americans. And the distractions that would lead most to resume their daily lives – the gym, the office, school – are no longer there.

As a result, more are stepping up and adding their voice to a movement.

This story was originally published June 29, 2020 at 11:08 AM.