In Amador County, Residents Say They Stand For Black Lives And For Police

On the hot asphalt of the Detert Park parking lot, officers from the Jackson Police Department casually lingered at a demonstration for racial justice Wednesday. They chatted with neighbors, mingled with nonprofit groups and seemed generally at ease as just a few feet away residents decried the police killing of an unarmed Black man. 

Many Amador County residents have come together in recent weeks to stand up against racial violence committed by law enforcement. But it hasn’t shaken their sense of loyalty to their country, their community or their own law enforcement officers.

“We are definitely not anti-cop,” said Phillip Moore, a 29-year-old Pioneer resident who attended the Wednesday event. He’s also been organizing demonstrations in the area.

Moore has one Black parent and one white parent. He says he never faced overt racism growing up, despite being one of the only people of color in town.

“I absolutely adore our police departments here,” he said. “They’re fantastic people, they’ve never treated me wrong. They’re not here to oppress anybody. They’re standing with us. They’re standing to make sure we are safe.”

Phillip Moore of Amador County attended the Wednesday demonstration. He has helped organize other events in solidarity with Black Lives Matter in Jackson, Calif. Wednesday, June 10, 2020.Andrew Nixon / CapRadio

The Wednesday demonstration was organized by two local teenagers, who asked to remain anonymous but did say they wanted to see money taken away from the police department and put toward community services. Many of the attendees said they were there to protest events happening on a national level.

In downtown Sacramento, protesters and law enforcement have engaged in hostile standoffs that resulted in riot-gear-clad officers firing rubber bullets and tear gas canisters. Black and brown demonstrators interviewed by CapRadio could cite multiple times they’d been harassed by police.

But in Amador County, many demonstrators do tend to see their law enforcement officers as protectors. The lack of racial tension may be tied to a lack of diversity — residents are 90% white and less than 3% Black. They gather over sports games and the annual Top Cop shooting competition. 

“The law enforcement here, they’re locals like us,” said Moore, who works as a security officer at the Jackson Rancheria Casino Resort. “They live here. They know the people here. They know the names of us. They’re not people I want to see get hurt, they’re not people I want to see lose their jobs.”

A crowd shows their support of Black Lives Matter in Jackson, Calif. Wednesday, June 10, 2020.Andrew Nixon / CapRadio

Sebastian Cerqueria holds a sign while crossing a crosswalk in Jackson, Calif. on Wednesday, June 10, 2020.Andrew Nixon / CapRadio

What he’s describing is similar to the community policing model that some activists across the state are calling for. It’s a structure where police live in the communities they patrol, which supporters say leads to stronger relationships and less violence between residents and officers.

Jackson Police Chief Christopher Mynderup says he feels fortunate to have the community’s support at a time when some cities are calling to defund their police departments.

“Some of the stuff that you see I’m not going to lie, it’s hurtful,” he said. “I think definitely there’s room for some dialogue, some changes need to be made. But we have to be able to come to the table together and have a good dialogue and talk those things out.”

Nearly 44% of Amador’s registered voters are Republicans, and less than a third are Democrats. Residents said George Floyd’s death has brought them together over the idea that racially motivated police killings are unjust. 

“The people I’ve spoken with, even people who are far right of me, are very horrified by what happened, and I think that’s a good thing,” said Cindy Simpson.

“There’s just an awful lot of people, regardless of their stripe, that see that this has to change,” said Steve Bonner.

“If the relatively conservative people of Amador County can see this so clearly and feel so strongly about the need for change, then I think we’ve really got a good chance of it happening and sticking,” said Debra Brown.

Counter demonstrators gather across from Detert Park in Jackson Calif. Wednesday, June 10, 2020.Andrew Nixon / CapRadio

In the days leading up to the local demonstrations, Moore said he did notice a few threats of violence on social media, from people saying they planned to pick up some guns before showing up. But he called law enforcement and the events were able to continue peacefully.

“If by chance someone who was severely racist wanted to get on my case and get in my face, I know people would back me up,” he said. “People would stand right by me and be like ‘no that’s not accepted here.’"

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to clarify that the demonstration was organized by two local teenagers, who asked to remain anonymous.