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‘That’s how we get equality’
For second straight week, protestors march to denounce police brutality By: GRAYCE MCCORMICK NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
For the second weekend in a row, people packed the streets with large signs and loud voices in protest of the murder of George Floyd and other victims of police brutality. Organized by Kyle Brown, the rally began in De la Guerra Plaza, where community members spoke, and proceeded down State Street to Stearns Wharf. Once the crowd reached the dock, they knelt in silence for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, the amount of time the officer was kneeling on Mr. Floyd’s neck. “There’s a message that’s sent and that message is a threat that says if you run in the wrong place, you’re gonna die,” Mr. Brown said before the march. “If you live in the wrong neighborhood, you’re gonna die. All it takes is $20 to go misplaced and we have a reason to kill you. We’re here today because we will not tolerate that in Santa Barbara.” He addressed “deep-rooted issues of systemic racism, white supremacy and racial inequality” that need to be fixed, and said he was confident Santa Barbara can do that. “Because we believe that although there are stories going around in the country that might say otherwise, we know that here in Santa Barbara, there are cops that do believe black lives matter, there are cops that do know how to de escalate situations, and for that reason, we want to do nothing to scorn those cops today,” Mr. Brown said. Members of the Santa Barbara Police Department were present at the rally, including Chief Lori Luhnow. She informed the protestors of changes made within department policy, including Please see rally on A7
KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
Above, protesters take a knee at Stearns Wharf after marching down State Street to protest the death of George Floyd and others killed by police. Below, a paddle out organized by local surfer Chris Ragland was held at Leadbetter Beach to honor Mr. Floyd’s memory. For more local reactions to Mr. Floyd’s death, see page A2.
Surfers show solidarity Seafaring locals organize paddle out to honor George Floyd By GRAYCE MCCORMICK NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
“In California, we wear wetsuits. I can guarantee there’s been a moment while you’re waiting for waves that you thought, ‘I hope a shark doesn’t mistake me for a seal.’ There are Americans, in the safety of their home, that fear that the police don’t mistake them for criminals. This risk [they] choose to accept doesn’t peel off after [they’re] done in the parking lot. Not for black people, not for me.” These were the words spoken by Chris Ragland
County’s unemployment rate hits record high
to hundreds of surfers, swimmers and regular beachgoers at Leadbetter Beach on Saturday. Mr. Ragland organized “Paddle Out SB” to honor the memory of George Floyd. As per the Hawaiian tradition to pay tribute to people who have died, the attendees took to the waves on their surfboards, SUPs and kayaks, chanting and throwing flowers in the water. Boards were provided upon request to anyone who needed one, and participants laid them down to spell “Unity” in the sand, showing their community’s Please see paddle on A6
Andy Caldwell hosts passionate town hall on current state of affairs By JORGE MERCADO NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
RAFAEL MALDONADO / NEWS-PRESS
The loss of businesses such as Macy’s, a Paseo Nuevo anchor, has affected the economy in recent years. During the COVID-19 pandemic, unemployment grew and reached a record high in April.
By CHRISTIAN WHITTLE NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
The unemployment rate for Santa Barbara County hit a record high of 13.7% in April, up from 5.7% in March and well above the 3.4% rate in April 2019. Nonfarm industries lost an estimated 20,700 jobs from midMarch to mid-April, down to a total of 166,300. While all nonfarm industries were impacted, leisure and hospitality were the hardest hit,
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losing an estimated 10,700 jobs. The losses in hospitality and leisure have been a common trend across the Central Coast according to Andriy Moskalyk, labor market consultant for the California Employment Development Department. “Because a lot of the businesses that were closed were in leisure and hospitality and Santa Barbara County has a lot of those jobs, that was the industry that was most impacted,” said Mr. Moskalyk.
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“When you look at April, we had lost about 20,000 jobs. Fiftytwo percent of those were in leisure and hospitality.” Other notable losses were seen in the health and social assistance sector, where 2,600 jobs were lost. Retail employment dropped by 1,400, down 7.5%. Professional and business services also saw a loss of 1,400 jobs in April, down 6%. The numbers, calculated by the Employment Development Please see JOBS on A3
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Andy Caldwell has always been loud about wanting to steer America in the right direction, while also representing the Central Coast out in Washington D.C. The republican challenger to Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, for the 24th district congressional seat held a virtual town hall Saturday morning, where he continued to emphasize to his supporters how committed he still is, especially with the current state of the country. “Right now America’s divided. We want America to be united. I still believe in the concept of the melting pot. I believe the emphasis on multiculturalism actually helps to stratify America and I want to unite it. And that’s one of the reasons I’m running for office,” Mr. Caldwell said. A stream of Mr. Caldwell’s town hall is available at his Facebook page. Mr. Caldwell began his live stream by showing a new campaign video where he addressed the ongoing protests and riots in response to the recent death of George Floyd at the hand of former police officer Derek Chauvin. The incident was captured on
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Andy Caldwell is running in the November election for California’s 24th congressional district.
video and shared through various social media platforms sparking outrage. Mr. Chauvin has since been taken into custody on seconddegree murder charges, while three other officers at the scene have also been fired and arrested. In the video, Mr. Caldwell said he “supports bringing the cops involved to trial” but also “avoiding trying them in the court of public opinion.” Mr. Caldwell also hoped people would peacefully protest “in respect for all the good cops.” Later, Mr. Caldwell spoke about
former NFL Quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who knelt during the National Anthem in 2016, and said “his protest did not and will not produce any more change than will looting and rioting. “These protests fail to focus on the core problems affecting inner cities including a never-ending cycle of poverty, fail schools and abortion,” Mr. Caldwell said. Mr. Caldwell also condemned ANTIFA, calling the group “an armed militia of mostly caucasiuan anarchists in training.” Please see CALDWELL on A3
LOTTERY RESULTS Saturday’s SUPER LOTTO: 5-21-22-34-39 Meganumber: 8 Friday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 32-35-37-47-55 Meganumber: 22 Friday’s DAILY DERBY: 09-03-04 TIME: 1:47.45 Saturday’s Daily 3: 1-2-7 / Evening: 5-9-0
Saturday’s DAILY 4: 1-4-9-9 Saturday’s FANTASY 5: 5-10-13-27-35 Saturday’s POWERBALL: 1-17-38-68-69 Meganumber: 18