A protestor and a police officer defuse tense California standoff by dancing together

A protestor and a police officer helped end a tense standoff between their two factions on Saturday in California, in the wake of the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minnesota. 

During the demonstration, the crowd ignored multiple police orders to disperse, but the standoff eased after protestor Betty Williams, 66, and Riverside County sheriff’s deputy Lt. Chris Durham broke ranks, and danced with one another. 

During the standoff, Williams spoke in support of peacefully advocating for changes, according to The Press Enterprise. 

“Do we want to make the laws change?” Williams asked, according to the outlet.

“Yes,” the protesters said.

“Then this is how we do it. Peacefully,” Williams said.

Williams called upon a white protestor who, as the outlet reported, "did what passed enough for a dance to elicit a laugh from the protestors." 

When Williams requested a deputy to dance with her, Durham, who is white, took her hand to waltz, and "gave her a couple of spins to the approval of the crowd."

When someone wanted a deputy's view about the behavior of the Minneapolis police officers fired in the wake of Floyd's death, Durham spoke up: “Someone should have intervened," he said. "I’m a big believer in accountability – peer-to-peer."

Durham answered questions, the outlet reported. Eventually, protesters and police peacefully left the scene.