Santa Cruz Police Station Vandalized Amid Protest: Report

SANTA CRUZ, CA — Vandals targeted the Santa Cruz Police Department amid a protest Wednesday night in the wake of George Floyd's death, KION reported.

Vandals spraypainted messages such as, "Kill the KKKOP in you," "Pigs," "Blue Lives Murder" and "RIP George Floyd" on the ground, police department walls and a statue, the station reported.

The scene was much different from a Saturday protest in the city, which garnered widespread attention after Santa Cruz Police Chief Andy Mills took a knee alongside protesters in a show of solidarity. Mills has previously spoken out against Floyd's killing.

"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, a 46-year-old black man, died after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, a 44-year-old white man, knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes. Chauvin pinned Floyd down after arresting him following a call reporting his suspected use of a counterfeit bill at a store. Floyd said he could not breathe during the encounter and had no pulse when he was taken into an ambulance.

All four officers at the scene were fired. On Wednesday Chauvin was charged with second-degree murder and the other three officers on scene — Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane — were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and manslaughter.

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Santa Cruz Police Chief Kneels Alongside Peaceful Protesters