As second week of valley protests wraps, police reform starts taking shape

There were two demonstrations Friday evening against racial injustice: one group of protestors descended on city hall in Coachella, while another crossed the valley in a socially distanced car caravan.

Chanting "Black Lives Matter!," about 75 people gathered and marched a couple of blocks through Coachella. It was organized by Ashley Vega, who's just 18 years old. She said she wanted to bring together the latinx community to stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.

"It's just the beginning of the revolution," Vega said. "I'm not going to stop – no one's going to stop. It's time that we get change. It's time that black people were treated equal."

At the same time, dozens of cars made their way across the valley, traveling from Palm Springs to Coachella. This protest was billed as a safe way to show support without gathering in large groups.

"It has been very hard for my husband and I to not participate in the protests," said Eileen Stern. "This has given us an opportunity to make our voices heard that racism ends with us."

Friday's protests marked the end of two weeks of demonstrations valley-wide, and local police are responding.

"We hear their message; we understand it," said Cathedral City Police Chief George Crum, who vowed to strive for better dialogue with the community.

Palm Springs Chief Bryan Reyes said his department is reviewing policies related to use of force, implicit bias, and de-escalation.

Indio Chief Mike Washburn said nearly 100 department policies have been reviewed this year.

And the Riverside County Sheriff's and Desert Hot Springs Police departments have banned the carotid neck restraint.

Changes are happening at the city level too.

Coachella city council this week discussed cutting its contract with the sheriff's department and moving to its own police force.

And the Palm Springs city council is putting together public forums and listening sessions to address historical racist policies.

You can reach Jake on Twitter, Facebook or email him at jake.ingrassia@kesq.com.