Cleanup Follows Night of Protest, Confrontation in Downtown Santa Rosa

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As day broke over downtown Santa Rosa, first light revealed graffiti, tagging and broken glass after a night of protest that saw demonstrators move through the streets for hours, chanting slogans demanding justice for George Floyd, the Minneapolis man killed by police on Monday. After a daytime rally and march, the nightime protests turned more tense, with at times scores of protestors entering into frequent standoffs with law enforcement.

Tear gas was deployed at one point as a line of CHP officers blocked demonstrators as they attempted to block traffic on Highway 101.

By midnight lines of Santa Rosa Police officers had cordoned off part of downtown, taking up positions on 4th Street, with more than two dozen police vehicles parked at Courthouse Square, and lines of armed officers pushing demonstrators north up Mendocino Avenue away from the Square.

By morning, volunteers had arrived to clean up the mess left behind, sweeping up glass, removing graffiti, and trying to get downtown back to normal.

Photos of Anne Barbour, Justin Mann, Ben Pedersen, Tony Geraldi, Chris Rogers.