Mission District Protesters Honor Sean Monterrosa / Marches Against Police Brutality Continue Around The Bay Area / Newsom Directs California Police To Drop The Carotid Restraint / Blood Bank Screens Donors For COVID-19 Antibodies / Quail Fire Now 40% Contained, But Strong Winds And Dry Weather Expected Through Monday
Mission District Protesters Remember Sean Monterrosa
Over the weekend, dozens of Bay Area demonstrations against police brutality took place, from Pinole to Palo Alto.
While protesters around the world were chanting the names George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, hundreds of people gathered in San Francisco’s Mission District on Friday to remember another name.
Sean Monterrosa was a 22-year-old San Franciscan. He was unarmed, shot and killed by a police officer responding to a robbery at a Walgreens in Vallejo last Wednesday. Sources close to the case have identified the shooter as officer Jarrett Tonn, who has been involved in three other non-fatal shooting incidents. Monterrosa’s two sisters, Ashley and Michelle, spoke at the protest.
“He was in his cop car. It was not a threat. My brother was never a threat.”
They talked about how much he loved literature, and how committed he was to social justice.
“The last text my brother sent me and my sister in our group chat. We’re more like triplets than siblings. It was never I love you. But he said can you please sign this petition so we can get justice for George Floyd?”
Marches Against Police Brutality Continue Around The Bay Area
Tiana Day, a 17-year-old San Ramon local, also wants justice for George Floyd. On Friday, along with a few other organizers, she began planning a march across the Golden Gate Bridge and back to protest police brutality. By Saturday, she was thrilled to see thousands gather to join her at the San Francisco landmark.
Eventually, demonstrators spilled out from the walkways onto the road, blocking traffic before marching into the Presidio. Day says that her activism won’t end with this march.
“Me and my dad are planning an organization to help youth, black students with scholarship opportunities, as well as just continuing to fight for the cause.”
Day was far from the youngest protester out in the streets this weekend.
On Sunday, hundreds of children and their parents gathered at City College to join the SF Kids Peace March.
Protesters marched, or were carried, down Ocean Avenue towards Aptos Middle School. It was one of several children-focused events.
There are more marches planned throughout the Bay Area this week, with demonstrations taking place in San Francisco, Berkeley, Richmond, and Antioch today.
Newsom Directs California Police To Drop The Carotid Restraint
Governor Gavin Newsom is directing the carotid restraint be dropped from state police training programs. Protesters are calling for law enforcement agencies to re-examine their use of force techniques in the wake of protests over George Floyd’s killing by Minnesota police. Newsom said:
"Now we can argue that these are used as exceptions, but at the end of the day the carotid hold -- that literally is designed to stop people’s blood from flowing into their brain -- that has no place any longer in 21st-century practices and policing."
The San Diego police and sheriff departments dropped the restraint this week.
Newsom also called for new standards for crowd control and use of force during protests.
He condemned the use of tear gas and rubber bullets on peaceful demonstrators.
Blood Bank Screens Donors For COVID-19 Antibodies
Want to know if you’ve already had COVID-19? Go donate blood. Many California blood centers are now screening donors for antibodies.
Whether you’ve had COVID-19 symptoms or not, if your body fought off the disease recently, your blood will contain special antibodies. Blood bank network Vitalant is trying to identify people with these antibodies, because some early research shows their plasma could be helpful to people currently fighting the disease.
The banks are experiencing a critical need for blood right now. Anyone who donates will be able to see their antibody results for free about two weeks later. There isn’t clear evidence showing whether surviving COVID-19 makes someone immune to it.
This is separate from the swab test, which tells you whether you’re currently infected.
Quail Fire 40% Contained, But Strong Winds And Dry Weather Expected Through Monday
An evacuation order has been lifted after firefighters gained the upper hand on a wildfire that destroyed three structures and threatened another 100 in a rural community in Solano County. The fire is called the Quail Fire. It broke out on Quail Valley Road near the town of Winters about 15 miles north of Vacaville Saturday afternoon. Wind and dry grass and brush pushed the flames over rough terrain. A CalFire spokesman said the fire spread over nearly 3 square miles. It is now 40 percent contained.
The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning of strong winds and dry conditions that make for dangerous fire conditions across the Sacramento Delta through Monday.
