I am so proud of our local youth, many of whom are recent voters or soon tol be voters. I am also hopeful that change may come at last. I marched in 1992 after the Rodney King verdict. Let's end racism and the change the U.S. justice system for your futures!

By next week we’ll see the headline,”coronavirus infections jump 200%”

So proud of these high school students, protest peacefully and building a better world for all... you are going to be the next leaders for our community and country.

Protesters are starting to think and speak about particular proposed changes in authorized police practices. They should look up, for example, USE OF FORCE and USE OF RECORDING DEVISES (such as body cams) in the often-online policy and practice manual for their own city's police department. Some hope these protests will at least contribute to the rejection of Donald Trump in the election that concludes on November 3. Trump and his supporters, though, will look for anyway to counter - including using police and the military to bring order to the republic. So protesters should consider NOT marching at night or anywhere that unduly blocks traffic or gives cover to criminals and political subversives who could turn all of this into votes for Trump or against Joe Biden. Finally, don't forget, voting in California may help keek Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House still controlled by Democrats. But CA votes will not decide the race for President. That will be determined in swing states. And Trump and company know that if only a quarter of voters support him in a swing state, Republican operatives will need to suppress voter registration and turnout to steal the election. That means no voting by mail or no operating post office to deliver ballots to election officials.

"It felt very powerful, to stop the main road of traffic in the city to say this was something we really cared about that needs to be talked about."

"You can stop and sit in traffic for a little and think about systemic change,'" was the message the protest sent to the drivers stuck waiting in vehicles, she said.

There are people in this community who depend on others for health and safety reasons. Before blocking main road please be more considerate of drivers who might be on their way to help these individuals. How does it make things better to block access to needed caregivers?

I lived around the area in the early 70's. I think it's so awesome that the youth are so passionate about the protest. You've got to stand up for what's right or this inequality will never change. We've lived with a broken system far too long, change is over due. I live in a bi-racial family and don't want my children growing up in the world as it is today. thanks to all that stand up to be heard, you do make a difference!!

Job well done, Kenan & Kai Moos!
The protest march was a huge success. You attracted so many people from the community to stand and march together, amplify the outrage, and inspire action!
I was so far back in the crowd I didn’t hear the poems and speeches but I could feel the energy... maybe you can share the transcript at some point! Keep leading and we will follow! Gretchen Craford, Los Altos

Make sure your voices continue to be heard in November. Vote!

> By next week we’ll see the headline,”coronavirus infections jump 200%”

Actually, next week's numbers will be from a couple weekends ago when we saw the all those states "open" up. Remember the Lake of the Ozarks party video?

Web Link

111,000 Americans dead from the terrible virus response by our leaders. 1,000 per day.

Glad you're so concerned. You've been concerned for awhile, right? You understand how SIP saved so many lives?

Or is this a recent conversion due to Americans availing themselves of their 1st Amendment right (mostly in masks, as opposed to the Ozark video) in opposition to your belief?

Me? I'm proud of these brave Americans. And I pray for their safety.

Well done to the young people who stood up peacefully for what they believe and hope for change.

Is there somewhere we can see a gallery of all the photos taken?

I grew up in Palo Alto and Cupertino going to a lot of protest marches during the Viet Nam war era, and I'm so glad to see all these fine young people using their voices to change the unacceptable status quo. I feel our future is in good hands , thank you Kai and Kenan Moos.

A few thoughts. The current coronavirus is not taking a vacation. It continues to spread and kill. In fact, the virus is killing as many Americans EACH DAY as are killed by police EACH YEAR: And the virus victims - unlike criminal suspects and arrestees - are generally not to blame for their demise. 57% of Americans killed by police are WHITE. That is about the percentage of WHITE people in America. A disproportionate percentage of black persons are killed by police but, of course, that does not prove they are being unfairly targeted or treated. Most of the crime in America addressed by local police is crime in the streets - not in the (business) suites - as Ralph Nader has always warned. Of course, I am not saying that focus is right. But it is another discussion. What we can see from what happened to George Floyd - and from other instances caught on tape - is that some officers use excessive force or worse - and to a greater degree against black persons. For many, the issue goes far beyond mistreatment by some officers of some persons they encounter. It is partly about the tendency for power to corrupt and for corrupt persons to seek and use positions of power for corrupt purposes. It is partly about an economic system that is largely designed to make the rich richer and the powerful more powerful - not to be fair to individuals. I offer here no solutions - just matters for consideration. But political activists that have helped stir concern and debate better start offering some proposed changes in law and leadership and practices. Otherwise, when protests subside, too little will have changed.

What do any of you really know about it? Several years ago I was pulled over while legally parked here in town by MVPD. My crime was I looked suspicious. I had pulled over to look up something on my laptop. The sun was still out. But I'm a minority and was driving a beat up of car, two months after I redeployed from Iraq. The cops were verbally aggressive and jerks. They made me answer all sorts of accusatory questions. They only calmed down when I proved I was a military officer. I called in a complaint and nothing happened. Over the years I learned to stop calling the police for anything like when packages were stolen. Why, because each time the police have shown up with aggressive and rude behavior full of charged up ego. It's laughable to watch. You'd think they were patrolling the Green Zone. I have lodged complaints as high as with the Boy Scout Chief Bosel and nothing ever happens. It's a waste of time.

I'm glad you've all managed to feel good by protesting in downtown Los Altos of all places. But how many of you will insist the police department reforms starting today? That means get rid of the current leadership. Demilitarize the goons in blue. Instill a customer service mindset where all are treated professionally and courteously as if you're in Nordstrom's buying an expensive suit.

@Get a clue. So you offer important information. I do not read that protesters have complained about MVPD. And the focus has been on brutality leading to death - not other harm including what you report. Are you willing to give your paperwork to the MV Voice if the paper agrees to not publish your name, for example, that you prefer? Based on your post, the Police Chief would already know your name.

I do see that you report complaining orally. Maybe you do not have supporting paperwork. People that have a complaint about police may want to consider writing or emailing the city council (or county board of supervisors, for example, if it involves a deputy sheriff). Any such complaint surely then would go to the chief and sheriff - but with pressure to actually investigate. And a complaint to a city council or county board would become a "public record" others might later request by general description in a request for public records. A complaint can be anonymous but it should be specific enough to permit an investigation. Folks could post on an article like this one their experiences - good or bad - with police. Again, the more specific, the better. Concocted complaints from the Krelim will not be helpful.

“I support police officers, but not the ones who commit crimes. I support protesters, but not the ones who commit crimes”. Author unknown.
The police are equipped with lethal weaponry that gives them power and it’s the abuse of that power that is criminal & should be punished accordingly. The protestors power, on the other hand, is a spirit of peace & unity and when they lose that spirit, they not only become criminals, more importantly, they lose their power. I don’t believe defunding the police is a realistic or viable solution. This is Silicon Valley people. Maybe it’s time to consider a Robocop solution.

All these woke privileged white protestors, put together a sign, go out and march for a couple of hours, and then go hone feeling good about themselves.

If one were to accept the existence of white privilege, then how is it acceptable that we allow parents to pass on their privilege to their children through inheritance? These kids already get the advantage of the best education and opportunities.

Would it not make sense to have a 100% inheritance tax on white people and have that money go into a pool that serves communities of colour with scholarships, funding for better schools etc?

Of course those same privileged white “protestors” would howl if anything like that were ever proposed

That’s why these marches are laughable. Because they will result in a defunding of law enforcement, but they will not address the tough structural issues that exist in communities of colour.

so in about 5 years from now when crime is through the roof, these same people will be clamouring for politicians to get tough on crime.

We’ve seen this movie before.

"those same privileged white “protestors” would howl if anything like that were ever proposed"

You think the protesters are in the "trust fund baby" class?

Wake up.

Los Altos has always been known as the epicenter of racism in the United States. Glad that the courageous young people, dodging bullets and tear gas, found the inner strength to bravely dismantle the pillars of racism in the Los Altos once and for all.

Thank you for, at last, erasing racism in America — job well done!

Police are a reflection of our society, our culture, our fears and our tolerance. All white people need to accept that systematic racism exists. The fact that white people are just waking up to systematic racism is an example of systematic racism. We as a culture need to stop white supremacy, toxic masculinity, nazis, fascists, homophobia and misogamy, make those socially unacceptable and stop tolerating that when and where we see, it even in our own hearts. This is not about them- it's about us. It is time for deep reflection for all of us. Let's start moving towards our real values- We the people... A more perfect union... Liberty and Justice for all...

We have two separate issues here, that of police brutality, and that of systematic racism.

There was a great book published a few years ago, which goes into the police brutality part, titled The Rise of the Warrior Cop, I recommend it to everyone. Our police wasn't this violent in the past. After the 1871 Civil Rights Act, people gained the ability to sue police for violating their rights, which was the practice until "The War on Drugs" in 1971. The drug warriors violated people's rights left and right, so the police slowly gained "qualified immunity" from their actions, and today, they are very hard to fire, or to stand trial for violence, and due to lobbying by many military suppliers, police departments now inherit surplus military gear, so that the military can buy more new, expensive stuff. It's a giant mess is what it is, but the net result is that police enjoy a legal double standard which allows them to get away with brutality that would put a private citizen in jail for assault. There's another writer who died not too long ago, William Norman Grigg who also made it his life's mission to document police brutality and corruption. His examples will turn your hair grey. Not all cops are bad, far from it, but there are some bad cops, and a system designed to shield all cops from liability allows those guys to get away with murder, literally. For one George Floyd caught on camera, there are many more who die without the brutality being exposed.

We need to change this, and painting signs isn't going to help. We need to vote out mayors and council members who let the status quo stand, we need to elect sheriffs who uphold rights, and I think it's even a time to consider replacing public police with private security - people who are not protected by qualified immunity and who would have to answer for any violence.

@Resident
"We need to vote out mayors and council members who let the status quo stand,"

Sounds obvious, on the surface.

Personally, I always dred when any one party holds political power in any jurisdiction for several elections in a row. I welcome changing the "status quo" of predictable elections.

You know the real reason why we have not seen a solution to racism or pretty much any other serious "hot-button-issue"?
Simple, if the politicians actually solved any of the problems they scream about, then they would no longer have the problem to scream about and to beat-up on their opponents with.

Law-makers only pass laws that cannot possibly accomplish the supposed goal of the law and will in fact cause some other problems that often are worse. Prop-13.

Sure, let's all vote out the politicians who have failed to eliminate "systemic racism". Sounds obvious, sounds like a great idea to me, but I suggest you go read the entire article (not just skim it) entitled:

"Are we being honest about who is to blame for systemic racism? by George Korda"

I think it's pretty "systemic" and predictable that the cities where the police and other officials have a long history of abuse of power, corruption, wide spread excessive force and overt racism are the very cities that have been basically under one-party-rule for many decades.
Not the party you are meant to assume.

"we need to elect sheriffs who uphold rights,"

Sheriffs are elected for the unincorporated areas of a county.
The city police chain of command starts at the Mayor, city counsel, Commissioner, chief, etc. The Mayor & City counsel have tremendous powers to effect the policies of the city police dept and who is leading them.

The politicians that get elected in these major cities, where "police brutality" is common, are almost always from the same party that yells and screams about how "racist" everyone ->else<- is and then do nothing that actually solves it.

"and I think it's even a time to consider replacing public police with private security"

Riiiiight, because that has worked out so well for minorities in private prisons, or has worked out so well in private "contractors" employed by our military, or because the need for private companies to make profits to continue to exist has proven to be such a good way to get companies and their employees to make decisions that always benefit the public, right?

Politicians exploit any crisis to make themselves look better and to beat up on whoever they want to frame as the "other" to be feared and blamed. Politicians don't want any meaningful solutions to the problems they scream about.

" - people who are not protected by qualified immunity and who would have to answer for any violence."

Realistically, private-sector "police" as individuals would answer to a self-interested company, not for the people or elected officials.

As for "qualified immunity", pretty much every public official and employee operates under various forms of immunity for their actions. Without that immunity very few people would willingly risk their lives every day to "protect & serve" the people.
Like Fire-fighters for another example.
Imagine how many people would sue IRS agents without that immunity.

Well, has there EVER been a police shooting in Los Altos? There
was a landscaping contractor who was murdered on the job earlier
this year. That's the first shooting I believe that has happened
in Los Altos in quite a few years.

All this focusing on police shootings should realize that police
do 1.4% of shootings in the U.S. the other 98.6% of shootings is
done by regular people. I would say police are nervous as a result
of all those shootings. I certainly am.

We have a very low police budget in Los Altos which I imagine
is reflective of the lack of violence and crime in general. Cutting
it further seems ill advised.

@Resident & everyone - People, this is not a matter of statistics or politics or social reform or anything that can or will be remedied by mere human means or ingenuity (especially my Robocop idea