Protesters take to streets of Central L.A. after chaotic night in downtown amid nationwide unrest over George Floyd killing
Local News
by:
Kristina Bravo,
Erin Myers
Posted: May 30, 2020 / 07:36 AM PDT / Updated: May 30, 2020 / 02:38 PM PDT
Update:
Demonstrators are taking to the streets of Central Los Angeles Saturday in the fourth day of local protests over the police custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
What appear to be thousands of people converged by the Pan Pacific Park near The Grove, the Beverly Center, and at least two other major streets in the area.
On Third Street, near Fairfax Avenue, a line of police officers faced protesters near where some people have climbed and vandalized a commuter bus.
Previous story:
Amid nationwide unrest over the police custody death of
George Floyd in Minneapolis, a third night of protests in downtown Los Angeles Friday turned chaotic and ended with the arrest of more than 500 people, authorities said Saturday.
Many businesses were looted, several police vehicles were vandalized and six LAPD officers suffered injuries ranging from lacerations to impact wounds, the department said. Some also set fireworks in the street.
Of the 533 people detained on suspicion of burglary, looting, probation violation, battery on police officer, attempted murder and failure to disperse, 18 remain in custody, according to police.
LAPD did not have an estimate on the damages, but
some advocates worry about the harm done to small businesses owned and run by people of color.
“Last night was a dark reminder of the perils of a society in turmoil and how our people stand to support peaceful expression while being ready to protect the rights of all,” LAPD Chief Michel Moore said.
While many people have been peacefully protesting against police brutality over the past three days, at times blocking the 110 Freeway, some demonstrators at around 6:40 p.m. Friday began to strike patrol vehicles near Fifth and Olive streets.
The protesters ran when officers gave chase, aerial video from Sky5 showed. One officer was swarmed by protesters after pushing a fleeing civilian into a car. That officer managed to escape.
LAPD quickly subdued the skirmish but by 9:24 p.m.
declared an unlawful assembly citing “repeated acts of violence [and] property damage.”
Videos from other parts of downtown show several stores being looted, including a jewelry shop, and at least one police car in flames. The LAPD chief tweeted an image of a Starbucks location with its windows and door broken.
This morning the sun came up on a Los Angeles that offered a new day.
Last night was a dark reminder of the perils of a society in turmoil and how our people stand to support peaceful expression while being ready to protect the rights of all.
I’m thankful for such people.
pic.twitter.com/eELnTslRYh
— Chief Michel Moore (@LAPDChiefMoore)
May 30, 2020
While police said the commotion continued into early Saturday, authorities have lifted restrictions in downtown L.A.
As expected, more rallies began Saturday afternoon. What appear to be thousands of people converged in at least four separate areas in Central L.A., including near The Grove and the Beverly Center.
On Third Street, near Fairfax Avenue, a line of police officers faced protesters near where some people have climbed and vandalized a commuter bus.
“I am asking for all of Los Angeles to come together and find the ability to peacefully express individual and collective grievances while also maintaining the safety of all of Angelenos,” Moore said in a statement earlier Saturday.
Like Moore, L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti and other local officials have expressed support for the public’s right to protest but asked them to do so peacefully.
Fontana, Rancho Cucamonga, Oakland, San Jose and dozens of cities elsewhere in the U.S. saw similar demonstrations as anger boiled over what happened to Floyd, a black man who died Monday after a white Minneapolis police officer was video-recorded kneeling on his neck while Floyd uttered “I can’t breathe.”
That officer, Derek Chauvin, was swiftly fired along with three other officers involved and has been
charged with murder.
Some Angelenos
said Floyd’s death was a reminder of the police beating of Rodney King nearly 30 years ago.
“It’s worse today than it was back then,” Kerman Maddox, who lived near the center of the riots in 1992, told the
Los Angeles Times.
In a statement Saturday morning, L.A. Council President Nury Martinez said, “…please protest, please march, please speak out, please cry out to racism’s injustice, including in our police departments, and please do so loudly, but please do so peacefully.”
video at source
posted for fair use
Demonstrators marched through the streets of Los Angeles’ Fairfax District and surrounding areas Saturday in a fourth day of local protests over the death of George Floyd.What appeared to be …
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