Law Enforcement Support Rally At Capitol Met By Protesters
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - Sunday afternoon, a police support rally shared space with a police brutality protest at the Capitol.
The police support rally was hosted by multiple organizations that work with law enforcement agencies.
"Our officers never asked for this," said senior chaplain Mindi Russell, who added the rally was not to counter recent protests in Ferguson, Missouri or New York City over officer-involved deaths, but a long overdue show of appreciation.
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"They didn't even know why we're doing it. I've been serving law enforcement for 25 years and I've never seen such low morale for officers, in people not seeing how valuable they are."
Just feet away from the police rally, a group of protesters shouted at officers standing guard. Everitt Adam said the protesters actually support law enforcement, but want to see change in police policy and culture.
"We want whistle blowing officers to be protected, we want [body] cams, we want drug testing," said Adam of the Coalition of Families Against Police Brutality, who said his own son was killed by an officer in Southern California. "We're not asking for demands that don't protect the public. It's for public safety."
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Several bystanders stood watching both rallies and some said neither group had a very effective message to them.
"It's very interesting what's going on here," said observer Christian Gomez. "As far as their objective, I think it's diluted, because how they go about it. People like Cesar Chavez, Ghandi, and Martin Luther King had accurate protests got something accomplished."
"We went to both," said Tiffany Carter, who was visiting from Bakersfield with her three children. "We're just in shock the two coexist like this."
Despite the differences, both groups said they want the same things: respect and peace on the streets.