Round table: Reflection on a year since the La Mesa riot

Photo by Matthew Bowler

Above: A hole in the window of a comic book store in La Mesa following a night of protests, May 31, 2020.

La Mesa a year later

A year ago, several blocks of downtown La Mesa were in ruins after a day of protest turned into a riot that included looting and arson. The George Floyd case in Minnesota was the national catalyst for many of the marches we saw, but Amaurie Johnson’s local case also drew a lot of attention when her violent arrest by La Mesa police was caught on camera. end of May 2020. Union of San Diego – Tribune reporter Alex Riggins recently caught up with Johnson, who reflected on the past year and the continuing fallout from her case. We also check how the La Mesa community is progressing.

RELATED: La Mesa Organizations Hope to Heal on Anniversary of Destructive Protests

Millions spent on public relations for local cities

Many local towns have staff to handle media relations and other public communications. But increasingly, public money is spent in the millions to hire outside PR firms to run highly polished campaigns aimed at improving brands and reputation. In her recent piece for Voice of San Diego, Sofia Mejías Pascoe details the money spent by the county and other local governments on a range of services from recruiting police officers to advertising water utility projects.

RELATED: San Diego Police Practice Their Human Skills On Social Media With Help From Consultant

Scripps Health advances after cyberattack

Scripps Health, one of San Diego’s largest healthcare providers, is getting back on track after its online portal was sidelined for weeks by hackers. A full investigation is underway to determine who was behind the ransom attempt similar to recent cases involving an oil pipeline and a meat supplier. Meanwhile, San Diego County is changing its COVID-19 vaccination strategy as the state nears the end of its pandemic-level system. KPBS health reporter Matt Hoffman joins us for an update on these two ongoing stories.

RELATED: Scripps Health Says Certain Patient Information Acquired During Ransomware Attack

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