STOCKTON, Calif. — Hundreds of protesters gathered for another peaceful demonstration in Stockton on Friday night, as they continue to demand justice and police reform after the death of George Floyd.
However, this time, the demonstration at the intersection of March Lane and Pacific Avenue included families who have experienced the same trauma that Floyd's family now knows all too well, death of a family member by police.
Denise Friday Hall joined the protest because four years ago, her then 30-year-old son, Colby Friday, was shot and killed by Stockton police officers, who were looking for a robbery suspect at the time. The shooting was later ruled justified by the District Attorney’s office even though they had the wrong guy.
She was moved to action by the dying words of George Floyd.
“When he said mother, we felt an urgency, so we decided we just needed to go," Hall said.
Hall added she just got back from a trip to Minneapolis where she stood with protestors.
“It brought back difficult memories for me because I think about how my son was a mistaken identity and he was just walking down the street and racially profiled and that’s how the whole situation started," Hall said.
Demonstrators gather in Stockton to protest the death of George Floyd in Minnesota
And Hall wasn't alone.
“For running, they [the Los Angeles Police Department] shot 70 shots at my son, and our D.A. justified it," Lisa Simpson, another protester, said.
Simpson came all the way from Los Angeles where her son, Richard Risher was killed by LAPD four years ago.
“It’s sad, and I need them to cease fire in all 52 states of ‘Amurderca’ cease fire and then we’ll have a conversation because we’re still dying while we’re in quarantine,” Simpson said.
And then came the parents that still worry they could someday be in the same position as Simpson, as Hall and as the family of George Floyd.
“Everyday that I did not get a call to identify my son’s body, everyday that I don’t get a knock on my door, holding a picture up saying 'we need you to come down, we need you to show you something,' is a good day for me," Wendy Taylor, a protester, said.
Despite a heavy police presence, this protest ended peacefully with no issues.
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