Redding has engaged in a healthy series of public protests that have not been sullied by the violent conflict, vandalism and theft seen in some communities. Hundreds of people gathered in front of City Hall Friday before marching up Cypress Avenue en masse to Hilltop Drive and back. On Saturday a huge crowd of around 1500 attended a “Beloved Community” event in Caldwell Park that featured prayers and speeches before the diverse mass of people marched on a lengthy route that included the river trail, Diestelhorst Bridge, Riverside Drive and the Market Street Bridge, half of which was closed for the safety of the demonstrators. They remained eerily silent throughout the somber route. As local veteran and activist Eddie McCllister said, there may be a pandemic in this country now, but black folks have been experiencing a pandemic of violence and discrimination for 400 years.