PORT ANGELES — While major cities across the United States, including Seattle, have been rocked by violence and vandalism during protests over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, protests in smaller cities on the North Olympic Peninsula were vastly more peaceful.
There were no reported arrests or damage from protests in either Port Townsend or Port Angeles this weekend.
About 125 people protested in Port Townsend at Sims Way and Haines Place on Saturday, and about 50 in Port Angeles protested at the intersection of Golf Course Road and First Street.
Protesters held signs decrying police brutality and were met by a large number of drivers who honked their horns in support, although protesters in Port Angeles reported at least a couple of drivers made obscene gestures.
There were no arrests and no reports of any vandalism in Port Townsend, said Port Townsend Police Sgt. Garin Williams.
“We didn’t receive a single call,” he said. “It was a peaceful and very uneventful protest.”
Clallam County Undersheriff Ron Cameron also was not aware of any arrests or damage at the Port Angeles protest.
“Obviously, people have a right to peacefully protest,” he said. “Generally around here, people are respectful of one another.”
Cameron said most law enforcement officers are horrified at the events that led to Floyd’s death last week in Minneapolis, Minn., with a police officer kneeling on Floyd’s neck until he died.
“No cop that I’m aware of liked what they saw in that video,” Cameron said. “We are equally disturbed with what we saw in that video.”
Williams and Cameron weren’t aware if any further protests are being planned on the peninsula.
In Port Angeles, demonstration organizers notified the Port Angeles Police Department ahead of time.
________
Sports Editor Pierre LaBossiere can be reached by email at [email protected].
