Protesters threatened on social media as another Visalia demonstration is organized
A protest in Visalia remains scheduled Saturday afternoon despite a social media threat to shoot demonstrators with a paintball gun and rubber balls.
The threat was posted Wednesday on Facebook by a user named Gabriel Santos, and soon after brought to the attention of the Visalia Police Department.
“How I feel about these protests,” the post read, “don’t worry I got a surprise for y’all mfs on Saturday on Mooney.
“Hope y’all like getting hit with paintballs and rubberballs ima have fun practicing see y’all Saturday.”
Santos’ entire Facebook page has since been deleted.
Public information officer Sgt. Celeste Sanchez confirmed the department was aware of the threat and looking further in the matter. No arrest had been made.
Protest organizer Avalon, who wished to not share his last name out of safety concerns, said Visalia police told him that officers visited Santos’ home and warned him that he would be their primary suspect if something were to occur Saturday.
Saturday’s protest — being conducted as a continued outcry for justice following the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer — begins at noon at the Sequoia Mall. Protesters are expected to march up and down Mooney Blvd.
It’s the same location where a protest was held last weekend when three counter-protesters in a blue Jeep struck and injured two protesters who were in the middle of the street.
No arrests have been made in that incident, and the case has been submitted to the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office for review of potential criminal charges.
Meanwhile, more than 560,000 people have signed a petition on the website Change.org, urging Visalia police to arrest the two men in the blue jeep.
Avalon, who grew up in Tulare but lives in Southern California, said one of the reasons he organized another protest in Visalia was to bring more attention to last weekend’s incident.
“Seeing the way that incident was treated by the local police and seeing how really no action was taken against the people who hit protesters with their car, that’s one of the bigger things we’re trying to address,” Avalon said. “It’s pretty sad. Two peaceful protesters were hit by a car. People have it on video. And things haven’t been pursued.
“It’s a shame on the Visalia Police Department’s part. It seems like they don’t care. And it seems like the people in the blue Jeep are going to get away with things.”
Avalon said he’s warned protesters of the social media threat.
He admits it makes him more cautious about participating in the protest.
But he certainly wasn’t going to call it off.
“Here in the Valley, knowing the policies that we grew up here with and the consciousness here, a lot of times, it feels like minorities groups don’t have a strong voice,” Avalon said. “This is our time to spark a conversation and spark change. Especially in a place like this where, sometimes, people don’t speak up as much as they should.
“We want to be included in that history and make sure that we’re on the right side of things. Even in the smallest towns like ours, this is something that we really need to do because we’re all affected by injustice.”
This story was originally published June 5, 2020 at 9:22 PM.