Hundreds of surfers paddle out to protest police brutality and honor black lives
Surfers around the world are paddling out to sea in support of the Black Lives Matter movement to protest injustice and pay tribute to black lives lost to police brutality.
Lou Harris, the founder of the East Coast Chapter of the Black Surfing Association, organized a paddle out in New York City’s Rockaway Beach on June 6.
The peaceful demonstration attracted more than 350 surfers who held Black Lives Matter signs and chanted the name of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck.
“I expected it to be 50 or 60 people but hundreds of surfers showed up,” Harris told CNN. “It was really emotional and crazy to see. It was very diverse and it felt like a rock concert. It wasn’t just for George Floyd, it was for every African American victim of police brutality.”
Paddle outs are a Hawaiian tradition that are generally organized as a form of protest or to honor surfers who died in the community. During the paddle outs, surfers swim into the water and arrange themselves in a circle. They then chant and throw the flowers into the water and chant.
At the New York paddle out earlier this month, the surfers also sang “Happy Birthday” to Breonna Taylor, who would have turned 27 on June 5. Taylor was an EMT who was killed in March after officers forced their way inside her home.
“It really made me tear up,” Harris said. “This brings so much awareness to racial injustice. It united people and we even had little 6 and 7-year-old white girls holding signs that say Black Lives Matter. It’s so good to see their parents opening their minds at a young age.”
The New York Police Department deployed police boats in the water to protect the group and ensure their safety, Harris said.
Surfers have organized similar worldwide paddle outs in support of the Black Lives Matter movement in various states including Florida, Hawaii, and California and countries like Australia.
The Black Surfing Association has organized another paddle out, set to take place at Rockaway Beach on June 20.
