City College student severely injured in protest speaks
Leslie Furcron talked in a press conference about her experience at the May 30 La Mesa protest
Leslie Furcron, a San Diego City College student who was shot with a projectile while attending a protest in La Mesa, spoke to the media on June 10. NBC 7 screenshot
June 11, 2020
Leslie Furcron, a San Diego City College student who was shot with a projectile while attending a protest in La Mesa, spoke to the media on June 10.
Furcron was participating in a protest on May 30 against police brutality and racial injustice against the Black community following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
According to a GoFundMe page created on her behalf, Furcron, 59, had been in a medically-induced coma and was in the intensive care unit after “La Mesa PD opened fire in close range and shot her directly in her head.”
Attorney Dante Pride, who is representing Furcron, said in the press conference she was hit by a “metal projectile bean bag” in her forehead, causing Furcron to lose vision in her left eye and become weak.
According to multiple media reports, Furcron was released from the hospital earlier this week.
The GoFundMe campaign has raised $167,084 toward its updated goal of $250,000, as of June 11.
“I go to San Diego City College,” Furcron said at the press conference, which she attended with her family and attorney. “I was — that’s changed — working on a bachelor’s degree as a social service worker. … And I never came out here that night for this to be a part of my story.”
WATCH: “I go to San Diego City College. I was, that’s changed, working on a bachelor’s degree as a social service worker. … And I never came out here that night for this to be a part of my story.” https://t.co/YLdabmGB1n pic.twitter.com/dCCE5UbKHz
— NBC 7 San Diego (@nbcsandiego) June 10, 2020
According to a tweet by City College president Ricky Shabazz, $2,000 was raised separately by the campus community to help support the family.
Thank you to everyone who donated to support @sdcitycollege student Leslie Furcron. She was hit with a projectile during a peaceful protest. Leslie is a 59 year old grandmother and college student. We raised $2000 to help support the family. https://t.co/ervNeRKxU3
— Ricky Shabazz (@DrRickyShabazz) June 10, 2020
Editor’s note: The City Times has updated its style guide to standardize the capitalization of the letter ”B” in Black in our writing when referring to one’s race. We’re making this change as Black does not only simply denote one’s skin color, but a culture and race that those who consider themselves Black identify with.
