LOS ANGELES (KTLA) — L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti declared another citywide curfew effective 8 p.m. Sunday to 5:30 a.m. Monday.
The proclamation came as Southern California authorities braced for a fourth day of anti-police brutality protests marked by clashes between officers and civilians, as well as vandalism and looting of local businesses.
In a tweet, LAPD said “all residents must stay home, indoors and off the streets.”
Culver City and West Hollywood, which joined L.A. in proclaiming an overnight curfew on Saturday, also planned to impose the same restrictions on their residents for a second night in a row.
Beverly Hills, on the other hand, announced two sets of curfews that will be “strictly enforced”: 1 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. Monday for the business district, and 4 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. Monday for the entire city.
The businesses district encompasses the Business Triangle, which includes Rodeo Drive, Souther Beverly Drive and Robertson and La Cienega boulevards–areas that saw some damages Saturday.
Many people have been protesting peacefully in the L.A. area since Wednesday, some holding signs that read “Black Lives Matter” and “I can’t breathe”—words uttered by George Floyd as a Minneapolis police officer knelt on him Monday before he died.
But on Friday, some people began to break into stores and set fire to police vehicles in downtown L.A., prompting police to declare an unlawful assembly. LAPD said 533 people were arrested that night, mostly for failure to disperse. Nearly all of them were released by the morning.
The next day, the Fairfax District and the surrounding area saw a similar scene, with a police booth burned at The Grove and people climbing onto buildings and at least one commuter bus. At least one patrol car was set on fire.
LAPD declared an unlawful assembly in the Mid-Wilshire area in the afternoon before Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency in L.A. County and deployed National Guard troops.
Authorities said they requested 500 to 700 troops for the city and another 500 for the county overnight. Some of those troops were seen at damaged storefronts at around 7 a.m. Sunday.
Officials are still assessing the cost of property damages, but LAPD Chief Michel Moore estimated it to be in the “hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
According to the department, around 398 people were arrested amid Saturday’s protests, with possible charges including burglary, looting, vandalism, failure to disperse, being a felon in possession of a gun and “numerous” curfew violations.
It’s unclear how many remain in custody Sunday.
Meanwhile, LAPD said five officers were hurt Saturday–two of them sent to the hospital with injuries ranging from contusions and broken bones to a fractured skull.
One was hit by a brick from a group of protesters, Moore said.
“He had surgery last night,” the chief said in a news conference Sunday. “I’m praying… I believe he will survive.”
L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva had expected the declaration of another overnight curfew for the city of Los Angeles following the chaotic scene in the Fairfax District.
Villanueva estimated the cost of damages to be in the millions. He expressed disappointment in protest organizers.
“As a community, we have to come together, realize people hijack protests instead of protesting peacefully,” Villanueva said. “We’re trying to get out of the pandemic and all of the lives that were lost, jobs and businesses lost in the pandemic, and we’re just adding insult to injury with this wanton destruction. It’s sad.”
source https://unv2news.blogspot.com/2020/05/another-night-of-curfew-for-la-west.html
