Protesters show support at Woodland Hills protest despite the 99 degree heat
June 3, 2020
WOODLAND HILLS — Demonstrators honored the life of George Floyd outside of the Warner Center in Woodland Hills on Wednesday.
Despite the 99 degree heat, a few hundred protesters gathered around 3 p.m., holding up signs on the sidewalk as drivers passing by in their vehicles honked in support. The group was a mix of ages and races. Most protesters held signs supporting the Black Lives Matter movement, which is sweeping across the county.
“The country is having this movement and we need to jump through this window of opportunity,” said Charmain McDowell, 44, who was protesting.
For many, this local protest was a way for them to show their support, without having to go to downtown L.A.
Tongie Scott, a 50-year-old medical doctor who grew up in racially divided Mississippi, said that she grew up in a racist environment, but was happy to be in Los Angeles, where racism is not as prevalent.
Scott expressed the importance of this movement and was happy to be out protesting. This was the first protest she had been a part of in her life.
“I figured if you want to see change, you have to be an agent of change,” Scott said. “Today has affected me to the core. I never imagined this.”
While this was Scott’s first protest, she was not alone. For many others, this was their first protest as well.
For siblings Kevin Somossa, 27, and Janelle Cassarubia,18, today was their first time protesting.
“It’s important that we express how we feel in person,” Somossa said. “We are one, the people versus police brutality.”
The protest had a plethora of support from the community as cars that drove by constantly honked in solidarity.
