Fist pumping and signs waving, a protest of nearly 200 people traveled through Balboa Park before spilling onto the streets of downtown Saturday afternoon.
The rally was part of the nationwide march against police violence.
“The bigger focus here is the militarization of our police force and just how cops appear to be so quick to shoot first and ask questions later,” said a protester named Kevin.
From the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson to the fatal police shooting of a 12-year-old boy in Cleveland, the incidents have fueled resentment toward police. Some say police practice different standards depending on race.
“Police will automatically assume that if a man is shot, he must be gang-related or he must have done something wrong,” protester Kinaya Bryant said. “I feel like if I have to get out and do something and let people know that we're not all thugs, we're not all criminals."
Still, for those in favor of law enforcement, it's a matter of obeying the law.
“They're just people just like the rest of us, and they have a job where 99 percent of the time it's boredom and then it's crisis,” said police supporter Rich Forsythe. ”That's tough to deal with."
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Police officers marched with the protesters to provide traffic control.
The demonstrators staged a “die-in” outside the NBC 7 studios after walking from Balboa Park.
