SirFrancisDrake_Protest_IMG_1781-1
Protestors at Marin County's Statue of Sir Francis Drake
June 17, 2020
Black Lives Matter protestors, Coast Miwok Indigenous people, youth and grandmothers, rallied Wednesday at the Marin County statue of Sir Francis Drake, calling for the removal of the statue and the renaming of Sir Francis Drake Blvd. Following the rally, protestors poured into Sir Francis Drake Blvd, blocking traffic in both directions and forcing police to redirect traffic to and from the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. Many of the protestors then marched towards the bridge and stopped at the Highway Patrol blockade at the onramp, where they took a knee to honor George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and all those who had been killed by police and systems of racist oppression.
Sir Francis Drake was an English explorer who circumnavigated the globe, was a privateer and pirate, and is believed to have landed in what is now known as Drake's Bay in the Point Reyes National Seashore. He was also a slave trader and played a central role in England's initial involvement in the slave trade. The statue that is associated with him stands across the channel from the Larkspur Ferry terminal in Marin County, California. Sir Francis Drake Blvd is the main thoroughfare connecting east and west Marin County.
SirFrancisDrake_Protest_IMG_1781-1
Protestors at Marin County's Statue of Sir Francis Drake
June 17, 2020
Black Lives Matter protestors, Coast Miwok Indigenous people, youth and grandmothers, rallied Wednesday at the Marin County statue of Sir Francis Drake, calling for the removal of the statue and the renaming of Sir Francis Drake Blvd. Following the rally, protestors poured into Sir Francis Drake Blvd, blocking traffic in both directions and forcing police to redirect traffic to and from the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. Many of the protestors then marched towards the bridge and stopped at the Highway Patrol blockade at the onramp, where they took a knee to honor George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and all those who had been killed by police and systems of racist oppression.
Sir Francis Drake was an English explorer who circumnavigated the globe, was a privateer and pirate, and is believed to have landed in what is now known as Drake's Bay in the Point Reyes National Seashore. He was also a slave trader and played a central role in England's initial involvement in the slave trade. The statue that is associated with him stands across the channel from the Larkspur Ferry terminal in Marin County, California. Sir Francis Drake Blvd is the main thoroughfare connecting east and west Marin County.