Dueling Atwater protests peaceful: Back the Badge, Black Lives Matter make their voices heard
Tempers flared, words were exchanged, but there were no major incidents Saturday following a “Back the Badge” rally held in Atwater with a counterprotest supporting Black Lives Matter taking place across the street in front of the Atwater Police Department.
Close to 200 people showed up to show their support for law enforcement, including about 50 members of a group calling themselves the California State Militia, who were dressed in full fatigues. The militia stood at attention in a line behind the group at the rally.
The “Back the Badge” group gathered in the parking lot of the Bellevue Bowl on Bellevue Avenue on Saturday morning.
“I couldn’t be more supportive of our law enforcement than anyone in our country,” said Atwater Mayor Paul Creighton, who attended the rally. “Our law enforcement are being murdered and assassinated in this country and it’s time that we the people stand up and show support for our law enforcement because they come to work every day not knowing if they’re going home or not.”
The large group waved flags, signs and also showed their support for President Donald Trump, shouting “four more years” at times.
One person during the “Back the Badge” rally held a sign that read: “Free Kyle Rittenhouse,” referring to a 17-year-old charged in the fatal shooting of two people during protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Another sign read: “Defund the governor.”
“I’m an Atwater resident and I support my police department,” said Theron Sanders, who paraded up and down the sidewalk waving an American flag. “I need my police department not to be defunded. I need them to protect me. They’ve saved my life before.”
Meanwhile, a group of about 50 protesters gathered across Bellevue Road and lined the sidewalk to support Black Lives Matter. They had plenty of signs, chanted things like “No justice, no peace,” and “Say their names.”
They yelled out names of Black men and women killed including George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Trayvon Martin.
That protest was organized by Merced Black Alliance co-founders Damaris Seay and Kiona Ellis, and founder of People of Color Gabriela Spiva.
“What brings us out is why defend a job that already has a gun,” Seay said. “There are so many brown people and Black people killed each day. You can choose to be a cop. I can’t choose to be Black.”
Ellis says the event went as expected.
“I think we were expecting exactly what we got,” Ellis said. “We were expecting a bunch of hateful people. We were expecting a militia because we got word that they were going to be here.”
Both groups kept to their sides for the most part, except for a couple occasions when a couple individuals from the rally crossed the roadway to approach the protesters. Police officers monitoring the protests were able to separate the groups and maintain peace.
“The groups had verbal difference of opinion,” said Atwater Police Chief Michael Salvador. “There were no arrests, no injuries and no property damage. We tried to keep everyone out of the street. Bellevue Road on a Saturday afternoon is not a safe place to be.
“For the most part they were able to express their opinions in a peaceful way.”
Creighton felt both groups had the right to be there to voice their opinions.
“My reaction when I came in is good,” he said. “You’ve got the far side over there. They are doing their American right to protest. They are doing it peacefully right now. This side isn’t protesting. We’re doing an event where we’re showing support for our law enforcement and they don’t agree with that, but they’re being peaceful over there.”
