Garcetti orders curfew for downtown LA amid unrest over death of George Floyd
An overnight curfew will go into effect for downtown Los Angeles at 8 p.m. Saturday, May 30, amid ongoing protests demanding justice for George Floyd, an African American man who died after a white officer kneeled on his neck in Minnesota earlier this week.
Mayor Eric Garcetti ordered the curfew, which will last until 5 a.m. Sunday, in an attempt to quell the anger that boiled over during Friday night’s downtown protests, leading to an unlawful assembly order, buildings getting damaged and broken into, police vehicles being vandalized, and more than 500 people being arrested — one on suspicion of attempted murder.
Garcetti announced the curfew during a Saturday afternoon press conference at City Hall as protesters in the Fairfax area across town engaged in a tense standoff with police; officers shot rubber bullets at the crowds as some of the demonstrators lit police vehicles on fire and shut down intersections.
“We’ve seen those shadows in the past; don’t bring them back,” Garcetti said, referring to the 1992 Los Angeles riots that followed the acquittal of four LAPD officers accused of excessive force and assault in the arrest of Rodney King. “We will use law to re-establish your liberty, to save lives, but we cannot do that when folks are lighting fires, shooting at our officers, throwing projectiles, and escalating things.”
The curfew’s perimeter is marked by the 110 freeway, Alameda Street and the 10 and 101 freeways; a heavy presence of Los Angeles police officers will enforce the curfew, Garcetti said.
The same perimeter was set Friday evening for the unlawful assembly order that came as protesters began damaging and looting businesses.
Due to ongoing public safety concerns, the city also closed all its COVID-19 testing centers on Saturday. Garcetti cautioned against the lack of social distancing at the protests, which could help spread the coronavirus.
Garcetti also pleaded with the crowds in Fairfax to go home, saying that no further point could be made by setting fires.
“If you love the city,” he said, “go home, and come back, and we can peacefully protest.”
Earlier this week, Floyd, a 46-year-old Minneapolis resident, died when a police officer pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck for several minutes, even after he lost consciousness. On Friday, that officer, Derek Chauvin, 44, was charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
Floyd’s death sparked protests nationwide, demonstrators criticizing law enforcement policing of communities of color.
Los Angeles, which has a history of tense relations between the Police Department and black and Latino communities, is no exception.
Garcetti acknowledged the mistakes Los Angeles police officers have made throughout the city’s history, repeatedly referencing the Rodney King arrest, but said the city has changed since 1992.
He did say, however, that much work still needs to be done to mend inequalities in the city. But, Garcetti added, violence and damaging property is not a way to respond.
“None of that is an excuse to burn a city down,” Garcetti said. “We need to breathe, step back and do that hard work tomorrow.”
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