Nearly 2,000 rally for black lives in Seaside, 100s take Highway 1 in Monterey

As mass mobilizations against racism have swept through cities around the United States, nearly 2,000 people met at a Seaside City Hall on Tuesday demanding an end to police brutality and justice for George Floyd in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.

After a midday rally at the city hall, around 1,000 people took to the streets, marched into Monterey and temporarily blocked traffic in both directions on Hwy. 1. Protesters then marched into downtown Monterey and took a knee for 10 minutes of silence in the intersection of Alvarado Street and Del Monte Avenue by the Portola Plaza.

Police presence was light throughout the day with no major confrontations with demonstrators, but a large contingent of Monterey County sheriff’s deputies with riot gear were staged a few blocks away from Seaside City Hall.