Santa Cruz Police Chief Kneels Alongside Peaceful Protesters

SANTA CRUZ, CA — Among the hundreds of people who gathered at a peaceful demonstration against police violence in Santa Cruz Saturday was Police Chief Andy Mills, who took a knee alongside protesters in a show of solidarity.

Before the protest, Mills had spoken out against the killing of George Floyd, whose death at the hands of Minneapolis police officers on Monday has drawn widespread condemnation and sparked protests across the U.S. that have escalated into violence in some cases.

"The killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis disturbs me to my core," Mills wrote on his personal website. "This brutal and compassionless behavior is not the profession I joined in 1977. We have to get policing back on track, and that will take a concerted effort of cops with integrity, humility, and a genuine sense of justice."

Floyd, 46, was filmed begging for air as white police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd's neck for more than eight minutes, even after Floyd became unresponsive. On Friday, Chauvin, 44, was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.

Mills also shared a photo of the Santa Cruz demonstration on Twitter, calling it a "very peaceful protest" and saying, "Black Lives Do Matter."

Small portion of a very peaceful protest. Black Lives Do Matter. Pacific and Water pic.twitter.com/NG2yabLs8d
— Andrew Mills (@ChiefAndyMills) May 30, 2020

Santa Cruz police shared a photo on Instagram of Mills kneeling, saying in a caption that the department "is fully supportive of peaceful protests in the City of Santa Cruz."

Protests in many other cities, while beginning peacefully, have been rife with reports of looting and allegations of excessive force by police. In California, cities including Los Angeles and San Francisco have been put under curfew following widespread propert ydamage.