I was too afraid to go to San Francisco or Palo Alto because of the virus, she said. I knew I could go down there (to Alpine and Portola roads) and I could imagine being able to distance myself. A lot of people had that same kind of feeling. With the outrage and heartbreak, it became something else; many friendships forged over these months.
Portola Valley felt like a silly place to hold the protests at first, she said. Portola Valley? Seriously, come on, she said. It s a predominantly white community, the fourth most affluent city in the U.S. How is this (racism) relevant here? It s everywhere there s no place that is exempt. It s in me. It s all around us. It s the water we swim in.