By: Catherine Daleo
Reading time 1-2 minutes

Since the death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, protests against police brutality and systemic racism have continued across the country and have even expanded around the world. 

On Friday May 29th, when the protests were beginning to ramp up here in Las Vegas, a group of young women came to show their support by handing out water bottles to other protesters in the Fashion Show Mall parking lot out of their car. 

Marylynne Corona, 22, stated they had been handing out water for about an hour  but attended the protest for a while beforehand. She shared the experience her and her friends had earlier while at the protest on the Strip. 

“They’re still targeting Black people,” Corona said. 

They witnessed a man that they had been standing near, who had verbally engaged the police from across the street, be chased down and tackled by police. 

“He said, ‘What’s next? Are you going to shoot me next?’, and then he was immediately charged at by the police”, Corona said. “The police ran right past us, chased him, and took him down before arresting him”. 

She went on to state, “The police were the ones not being peaceful”. 

Jasmin Mondragon, 19, who was also handing out water, shared her thoughts on the difference in response by the police between recent protests. 

“Two weeks ago there were people protesting for haircuts and the cops did nothing”, Mondragon said. “Now they’re going after us.”

Mondragon went on to say, “We have to support [the Black community]”. 

Donna Guillen, 20, another one of the young women, also shared her take on the importance of unity and solidarity. “As long as we’re together, we’re stronger,” Guillen said. “There’s more of us than them.”

Guillen also commented that, “We pay their salaries,” in reference to the police they had witnessed targeting Black protesters specifically and using excessive force on peaceful protesters in general. 

“There is no room for this behavior in law enforcement,” Guillen concluded in her statement. 

The women then went to go back towards the protest to see if anyone else needed water or other help. 

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department was continuing their enforcement of a dispersal order they had implemented an hour or so prior, as they directed people North down Las Vegas Blvd and off the Strip. Those who did not comply were arrested.