Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Black Leaders Say Social Media Post Calling for Riots at River Park Is Fake
Bill McEwen updated website photo 2024
By Bill McEwen, News Director
Published 5 years ago on
June 1, 2020

Share

Fresno black leaders say a social media post claiming that “Black Lives Matter riots” will begin at 4 p.m. Tuesday in River Park is fake.

Businessman Chris Milton, who spoke Sunday in downtown Fresno at a peaceful protest of George Floyd’s death, said in a Facebook media video Monday, “I am going to tell you right now, it’s fake. That has absolutely nothing to do with Black Lives Matter. ”

Milton attributed the post to the “White Nationalist Movement” upset about blacks and whites uniting to confront problems in America.

Click on the video below to hear Milton’s complete remarks on the fake social media post and efforts to repair racial relationships in Fresno:

Fresno PD Says It Is Investigating the Riots Post

Meanwhile, the Fresno Police Department said on its Facebook page that it “is aware of the post that has been circulating through social media about a potential aggressive protest tomorrow afternoon. We have dedicated several resources to tracking the validity of this threat and we are working towards a peaceful solution to any group that may want to be heard in our community. The police department will be prepared to respond to any acts of violence against persons or property in our city. Stay strong Fresno.”

NCAAP Leader Denounces the Post

D’Aungillique Jackson, president of the Fresno State NAACP chapter, took to Twitter to denounce the “BLM Fresno Riots” post and to urge people not to show up at River Park on Tuesday.

“Tearing up Fresno” goes completely against the message that organizers of Sunday protests are trying to spread, she said.

“We were able to confirm that this post originated on Reddit from an alt-right source,” Jackson told GV Wire’ Nancy Price in a Zoom interview Monday.

Here is an image of the riots post circulating on social media:

Image of a post saying there will be Black Lives Matter riots on Tuesday, June 2, in Fresno, California. Black leaders say the post is fake.
Image of a social media post claiming there will be Black Lives Matter riots on Tuesday, June 2, in Fresno, California. Black leaders say the post is fake.

Watch: Fresno Police Chief Andy Hall Speaks About Protests Afterward

DON'T MISS

Rural California, Reliant on the Trump Administration for Jobs, Braces for Cuts

DON'T MISS

Wired Wednesday: CEMEX’s New Mining Plan for the San Joaquin River

DON'T MISS

Trump Fires NSC Officials a Day After Far-Right Activist Raises Concerns to Him

DON'T MISS

China Halts Approvals for New US Investment Projects

DON'T MISS

Measles Spreads to Central Texas; 5 States Have Active Outbreaks

DON'T MISS

Trump Tariff Fears Erase $2 Trillion From US Stocks

DON'T MISS

Startup Offers Controversial Microplastic Blood Cleansing Treatment

DON'T MISS

Senate Confirms Mehmet Oz to Take Lead of Medicare and Medicaid Agency

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Pence Will Receive the Profile in Courage Award From the JFK Library for His Actions on Jan. 6

UP NEXT

Measles Spreads to Central Texas; 5 States Have Active Outbreaks

UP NEXT

Startup Offers Controversial Microplastic Blood Cleansing Treatment

UP NEXT

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

UP NEXT

Pence Will Receive the Profile in Courage Award From the JFK Library for His Actions on Jan. 6

UP NEXT

Flores Homers, Matos and Wade Also Go Deep to Help Giants Cap Sweep of Astros

UP NEXT

Fresno County Head-On Crash Sends Two to the Hospital

UP NEXT

Trump Proposes Tax Deduction for Auto Loan Interest on US-Made Cars

UP NEXT

Western US Sees Sharp Increase in Extreme Weather Impact

UP NEXT

7-Year-Old Girl Was Killed by a Falling Boulder at a Lake Tahoe Ski Resort

UP NEXT

Trump Orders Mean Uncertainty for Valley’s ‘Safety Net’ of Health Clinics

Bill McEwen,
News Director
Bill McEwen is news director and columnist for GV Wire. He joined GV Wire in August 2017 after 37 years at The Fresno Bee. With The Bee, he served as Opinion Editor, City Hall reporter, Metro columnist, sports columnist and sports editor through the years. His work has been frequently honored by the California Newspapers Publishers Association, including authoring first-place editorials in 2015 and 2016. Bill and his wife, Karen, are proud parents of two adult sons, and they have two grandsons. You can contact Bill at 559-492-4031 or at Send an Email

China Halts Approvals for New US Investment Projects

15 hours ago

Measles Spreads to Central Texas; 5 States Have Active Outbreaks

15 hours ago

Trump Tariff Fears Erase $2 Trillion From US Stocks

16 hours ago

Startup Offers Controversial Microplastic Blood Cleansing Treatment

16 hours ago

Senate Confirms Mehmet Oz to Take Lead of Medicare and Medicaid Agency

17 hours ago

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

19 hours ago

Pence Will Receive the Profile in Courage Award From the JFK Library for His Actions on Jan. 6

19 hours ago

Politics Turns Ugly for a Conservative Running for Fresno State Student Body President

19 hours ago

Pentagon’s Watchdog to Review Hegseth’s Use of Signal App to Convey Plans for Houthi Strike

19 hours ago

President Trump’s Tariffs Could Be the Political Tipping Point

20 hours ago

Rural California, Reliant on the Trump Administration for Jobs, Braces for Cuts

This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Far from the halls of power in Washington, the forested ha...

50 minutes ago

50 minutes ago

Rural California, Reliant on the Trump Administration for Jobs, Braces for Cuts

14 hours ago

Wired Wednesday: CEMEX’s New Mining Plan for the San Joaquin River

President Donald Trump speaks during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP/Mark Schiefelbein)
14 hours ago

Trump Fires NSC Officials a Day After Far-Right Activist Raises Concerns to Him

15 hours ago

China Halts Approvals for New US Investment Projects

15 hours ago

Measles Spreads to Central Texas; 5 States Have Active Outbreaks

16 hours ago

Trump Tariff Fears Erase $2 Trillion From US Stocks

16 hours ago

Startup Offers Controversial Microplastic Blood Cleansing Treatment

Dr. Mehmet Oz, President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, seated right, gives a thumbs-up alongside his wife Lisa Oz, seated left, with friends and family after he testified at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP/Ben Curtis)
17 hours ago

Senate Confirms Mehmet Oz to Take Lead of Medicare and Medicaid Agency

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend