Surfers paddle-out in honor of George Floyd and the black community

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - California surfers have their own way of honoring people who have lost their lives.

They hold paddle-outs and that is how they remembered George Floyd in Santa Barbara on Saturday.

Hundreds of surfers and others shared their feelings about the death of Floyd at Leadbetter Beach.

They also held a long moment of silence to reflect on the nearly 9 minutes Floyd was on the ground before he died under the knee of an officer facing charges for his death in Minnesota.

Chris Ragland organized the event and spoke about the Black Lives Matter movement before paddling out.

He said they formed a message with their surfboards.

"We're spelling unity, you know, we want people to feel like we are part of what's happening outside of Santa Barbara. Now, we'll know what to do after this, if we didn't before, " said Ragland.

Hundreds of surfers took part in today's demonstration.