latimes--2020-06-01--Column: We are all horrified, but only white people have the luxury of being shocked

Last night while my city burned and curfew fell , I sat and watched “ Black Panther ” and thought about what smug hypocrites white people can be .
Myself included , of course .
I have spent a lifetime watching cities burn and always over the same damn thing : racism .
I am just old enough to remember the 1968 Baltimore riot , one of several violent protests that followed the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr .
I remember it mainly because the curfew extended to my family ’ s suburban neighborhood , which meant I could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as I wanted to do , something I found extremely unfair .
A reasonable reaction for a 4-year old ; not so much for a grown person , though that is the response from far too many white people whenever a city burns for the same damn reason .
Including this weekend .
It ’ s so much easier to judge a relatively few looters — my God , not the Grove !
— than deal with the fact that the country you live in would rather regularly set itself on fire than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a global pandemic .
Think about that for a second .
How furious do people have to be to gather in the streets at a time when a highly infectious disease is killing thousands daily , especially black and brown people , who are dying at disproportionately high rate ?
We know why : A black man died in the custody of Minneapolis police — for the horrifying offense of attempting to pass a fake $ 20 bill — while three of his fellow officers looked on .
And the only reason any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s Police Department was that the whole thing was captured on video and circulated on social media .
Which is also why Gregory and Travis McMichael were recently arrested after stalking and shooting Ahmaud Arbery , a black man who had the temerity to take a run in a predominantly white Georgia neighborhood .
And no doubt the only reason Christian Cooper wasn ’ t arrested when a white woman called the cops to say “ an African American man ” was threatening her ( after he asked her to leash her dog @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) was that he had filmed the whole incident .
Seriously , if cellphones turn out to be what saves the soul of America , it will only be what we deserve .
Certainly this is a theme of “ Black Panther ” — that technology , used in pursuit of equality and justice , can be the great leveler .
But that ’ s not why I was watching it as Los Angeles , and Minneapolis , and Philadelphia , and New York and a dozen other cities , burned .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ myself of all the white people who fell all over themselves talking about how wonderful a movie it is — just as we had fallen all over ourselves celebrating “ Get Out ” the year before .
It was literally the least we could do — praise two very good films — and yet we made such a big deal out of it .
Look , white people can enjoy a film with an all-black cast about black empowerment !
Look , white people can laugh uncomfortably as the various levels of racism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all the white people are evil !
We are not racists !
We paid lots of money to see “ Hamilton , ” live-tweeted “ Scandal , ” we supported # OscarsSoWhite .
Everyone agrees that Idris Elba is the best-looking man ever , even in “ Cats , ” and Beyoncé should have won those Grammys because she is a queen .
In L.A. , we all mourned the death of Kobe and Gianna Bryant with a depth and ceremony usually reserved for presidents .
So it ’ s getting better , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ racist .
We ’ re getting better , it ’ s all going to be OK .
Nothing like white people managing their own comfort level while black people continue to deal with the crap they ’ ve been dealing with for centuries .
And I ’ m just as bad as any .
I ’ ve championed diversity in film and television and felt very noble , and occasionally , briefly , frightened , when my inbox filled with often threatening hate mail .
Look at me , doing the right thing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ black and brown colleagues , sometimes succeeding , and sometimes failing because I couldn ’ t understand what the problem was .
Except sometimes I did understand what the problem was .
I just didn ’ t have the energy , or creativity , or intestinal fortitude to deal with it effectively .
I am shocked and horrified by George Floyd ’ s death and Arbery ’ s death — and how Amy Cooper ’ s reaction to a perfectly reasonable request immediately exploded straight to racism so obvious and absurd it would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t all know that the story could have ended a whole other way .
With Christian Cooper in custody .
Or dead .
For asking a white woman to leash her dog .
We are all horrified , but only white people have the luxury of being shocked .
Being white does not guarantee fair treatment by the police — just ask countless white rape victims — any more than being white is an automatic protection against COVID-19 or poverty or injustice .
But white people do not live our lives in constant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the police .
We do not worry about getting arrested or killed for being in the wrong neighborhood or because a white person committed a crime and we look like him because we too are white .
We don ’ t worry about being pulled over or asked for ID for no apparent reason , or threatened with a drawn gun when we ask “ What is this about ?
” White people do not worry that any chance encounter with the police could easily end with us , or our children , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , or should be , very aware of this .
God knows , police harassment of black people has become so normalized it is part of the popular culture .
How many jokes/episodes/films/songs have depicted an act of institutionalized racism ?
How often have white people sat , full of righteous indignation , through stories — scripted and personal — of black men being asked what they ’ re doing in a “ nice ” neighborhood or driving an expensive car , or of a white person being pulled over for speeding , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she is all right when the officer sees that the person in the passenger seat is black ?
How many times have we heard a black man say “ It ’ s fine , ” while he reaches for his ID and tries to calm us down because we , being white , are allowed the luxury of being furious at a clear example of racism .
Actually , for white people the real luxury is that the outrage can pass , or hover at the farthest edge of everyday life .
Because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ life .
Except it is .
We can not divorce ourselves from injustice simply because it is not happening at any given moment in front of our very own selves .
Not only is that the very definition of “ morally bankrupt , ” it ’ s just plain wrong .
Everything that happens , happens to all of us .
Look at the news .
Our cities are burning , in the middle of a pandemic , just like they have burned so many times before because systemic , continual injustice is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Murder will out .
The people will rise .
If evolution is too slow , revolution will occur .
We know this .
Never mind history .
Look at the stories we tell ourselves in literature , film , television , music — justice will prevail , and when it doesn ’ t , the world is a bleak and dangerous place .
So it isn ’ t enough for white people to wear “ Black Panther ” T-shirts and say “ Wakanda Forever , ” it isn ’ t enough to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or show up for a march if once the fires burn out we all go back to our “ normal ” lives .
“ Normal ” is the problem .
“ Normal ” is what needs to be changed .
I ’ m not going to tell you how white people can help fix this — everyone knows what to do when they want something changed .
Listen to community leaders , vote , show up at meetings , demand accountability , protest , boycott and don ’ t stop until something gets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people — just ask any city that has tried to put a Metro line or a homeless shelter in a “ nice ” neighborhood .
Suddenly Karen is on the line , pissed off and demanding to speak with her Congress rep. Ah , Karen .
Lately we ’ ve heard a lot about Karen , a label for white women ( and occasionally men ) who call the cops or the manager or otherwise hassle people , usually black or brown , for doing perfectly harmless things that these women find outrageous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of women named Karen , are pretty annoyed by this — The Times just got a slew of letters about how unfair the trope is to actual Karens everywhere .
Which just proves my point .
Any group of people who can be moved to protest such an innocuous thing with such vehemence is a resource we need .
Instead of criticizing what you consider the “ demonizing of a perfectly good name ” ( as someone named Mary — as in Typhoid Mary — I promise , you ’ ll live ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the name has come to represent .
Why not use those Karen powers for good ?
Be a Karen for change .
Don ’ t demand that the government and the cops put a stop to those horrible protests ; demand that they put a stop to the behavior and crimes that led to the protests in the first place .
Demand body cams and accountability , demand better training and a zero-tolerance policy , demand that racist cops get fired , abusive cops get prosecuted and good cops get recognized and rewarded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Because you know what no one protests against , peacefully or violently ?
Justice and equality and freedom .
Give people justice , equality and freedom and they will stay at home and watch “ Black Panther , ” which really is a terrific movie .
But if white people want to go around saying “ Wakanda Forever , ” then we have to be Wakanda .
Right now .

Last night while my city burned and curfew fell, I sat and watched “Black Panther” and thought about what smug hypocrites white people can be.
Myself included, of course.
I have spent a lifetime watching cities burn and always over the same damn thing: racism. I am just old enough to remember the 1968 Baltimore riot, one of several violent protests that followed the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. I remember it mainly because the curfew extended to my family’s suburban neighborhood, which meant I could not play in the yard as long as I wanted to do, something I found extremely unfair.
A reasonable reaction for a 4-year old; not so much for a grown person, though that is the response from far too many white people whenever a city burns for the same damn reason. Including this weekend. It’s so much easier to judge a relatively few looters — my God, not the Grove! — than deal with the fact that the country you live in would rather regularly set itself on fire than address its obvious racism.
Even during a global pandemic. Think about that for a second. How furious do people have to be to gather in the streets at a time when a highly infectious disease is killing thousands daily, especially black and brown people, who are dying at disproportionately high rate?
Pretty damn furious.
We know why: A black man died in the custody of Minneapolis police — for the horrifying offense of attempting to pass a fake $20 bill — while three of his fellow officers looked on. And the only reason any action was taken by the city’s Police Department was that the whole thing was captured on video and circulated on social media.
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Which is also why Gregory and Travis McMichael were recently arrested after stalking and shooting Ahmaud Arbery, a black man who had the temerity to take a run in a predominantly white Georgia neighborhood. And no doubt the only reason Christian Cooper wasn’t arrested when a white woman called the cops to say “an African American man” was threatening her (after he asked her to leash her dog in a leash-only section of Central Park) was that he had filmed the whole incident.
Seriously, if cellphones turn out to be what saves the soul of America, it will only be what we deserve.
Certainly this is a theme of “Black Panther” — that technology, used in pursuit of equality and justice, can be the great leveler. But that’s not why I was watching it as Los Angeles, and Minneapolis, and Philadelphia, and New York and a dozen other cities, burned.
I was watching because I wanted to remind myself of all the white people who fell all over themselves talking about how wonderful a movie it is — just as we had fallen all over ourselves celebrating “Get Out” the year before.
It was literally the least we could do — praise two very good films — and yet we made such a big deal out of it. Look, white people can enjoy a film with an all-black cast about black empowerment! Look, white people can laugh uncomfortably as the various levels of racism are exposed in a comedy in which all the white people are evil! We are not racists! We paid lots of money to see “Hamilton,” live-tweeted “Scandal,” we supported #OscarsSoWhite. Everyone agrees that Idris Elba is the best-looking man ever, even in “Cats,” and Beyoncé should have won those Grammys because she is a queen.
Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther in Marvel’s “Black Panther.” (Film Frame / Marvel Studios)
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In L.A., we all mourned the death of Kobe and Gianna Bryant with a depth and ceremony usually reserved for presidents. So it’s getting better, right? We aren’t so racist. We’re getting better, it’s all going to be OK.
Nothing like white people managing their own comfort level while black people continue to deal with the crap they’ve been dealing with for centuries.
And I’m just as bad as any. I’ve championed diversity in film and television and felt very noble, and occasionally, briefly, frightened, when my inbox filled with often threatening hate mail. Look at me, doing the right thing! I’ve tried to support black and brown colleagues, sometimes succeeding, and sometimes failing because I couldn’t understand what the problem was.
Except sometimes I did understand what the problem was. I just didn’t have the energy, or creativity, or intestinal fortitude to deal with it effectively.
I am shocked and horrified by George Floyd’s death and Arbery’s death — and how Amy Cooper’s reaction to a perfectly reasonable request immediately exploded straight to racism so obvious and absurd it would have been funny if we didn’t all know that the story could have ended a whole other way. With Christian Cooper in custody. Or dead. For asking a white woman to leash her dog.
We are all horrified, but only white people have the luxury of being shocked.
Being white does not guarantee fair treatment by the police — just ask countless white rape victims — any more than being white is an automatic protection against COVID-19 or poverty or injustice. But white people do not live our lives in constant, thrumming low- to high-grade fear of the police. We do not worry about getting arrested or killed for being in the wrong neighborhood or because a white person committed a crime and we look like him because we too are white.
We don’t worry about being pulled over or asked for ID for no apparent reason, or threatened with a drawn gun when we ask “What is this about?”
White people do not worry that any chance encounter with the police could easily end with us, or our children, incarcerated or dead.
And we are, or should be, very aware of this. God knows, police harassment of black people has become so normalized it is part of the popular culture. How many jokes/episodes/films/songs have depicted an act of institutionalized racism? How often have white people sat, full of righteous indignation, through stories — scripted and personal — of black men being asked what they’re doing in a “nice” neighborhood or driving an expensive car, or of a white person being pulled over for speeding, only to be asked if he or she is all right when the officer sees that the person in the passenger seat is black?
How many times have we heard a black man say “It’s fine,” while he reaches for his ID and tries to calm us down because we, being white, are allowed the luxury of being furious at a clear example of racism.
Actually, for white people the real luxury is that the outrage can pass, or hover at the farthest edge of everyday life. Because it is not part of our everyday life.
Except it is. We cannot divorce ourselves from injustice simply because it is not happening at any given moment in front of our very own selves. Not only is that the very definition of “morally bankrupt,” it’s just plain wrong. Everything that happens, happens to all of us. Look at the news. Our cities are burning, in the middle of a pandemic, just like they have burned so many times before because systemic, continual injustice is at absolute odds with a peaceful society.
Murder will out. The people will rise. If evolution is too slow, revolution will occur.
We know this. Never mind history. Look at the stories we tell ourselves in literature, film, television, music — justice will prevail, and when it doesn’t, the world is a bleak and dangerous place.
So it isn’t enough for white people to wear “Black Panther” T-shirts and say “Wakanda Forever,” it isn’t enough to tweet a hashtag or sign a petition or show up for a march if once the fires burn out we all go back to our “normal” lives. “Normal” is the problem. “Normal” is what needs to be changed.
I’m not going to tell you how white people can help fix this — everyone knows what to do when they want something changed. Listen to community leaders, vote, show up at meetings, demand accountability, protest, boycott and don’t stop until something gets done. Nobody complains better than white people — just ask any city that has tried to put a Metro line or a homeless shelter in a “nice” neighborhood. Suddenly Karen is on the line, pissed off and demanding to speak with her Congress rep.
Ah, Karen. Lately we’ve heard a lot about Karen, a label for white women (and occasionally men) who call the cops or the manager or otherwise hassle people, usually black or brown, for doing perfectly harmless things that these women find outrageous. Women named Karen, and husbands of women named Karen, are pretty annoyed by this — The Times just got a slew of letters about how unfair the trope is to actual Karens everywhere.
Which just proves my point.
Any group of people who can be moved to protest such an innocuous thing with such vehemence is a resource we need. Instead of criticizing what you consider the “demonizing of a perfectly good name” (as someone named Mary — as in Typhoid Mary — I promise, you’ll live), why not criticize the behavior that the name has come to represent.
Why not use those Karen powers for good?
Be a Karen for change. Don’t demand that the government and the cops put a stop to those horrible protests; demand that they put a stop to the behavior and crimes that led to the protests in the first place. Demand body cams and accountability, demand better training and a zero-tolerance policy, demand that racist cops get fired, abusive cops get prosecuted and good cops get recognized and rewarded. It’s that simple.
Because you know what no one protests against, peacefully or violently? Justice and equality and freedom. Give people justice, equality and freedom and they will stay at home and watch “Black Panther,” which really is a terrific movie.
But if white people want to go around saying “Wakanda Forever,” then we have to be Wakanda. Right now.


latimes--2020-06-01--Protesters shut 405 Freeway in Westwood as L.A. County sets 6 p.m. curfew

New protests over police brutality and the death of George Floyd continued Monday across Southern California , as demonstrators marched onto the 405 Freeway in Westwood and shut down northbound lanes at rush hour .
The demonstrators walked from the Federal Building in Westwood and onto the freeway , using the Wilshire Boulevard ramp .
Some drivers stopped their cars to support the protesters as the California Highway Patrol watched .
Other protests continued in West Hollywood , the San Fernando Valley and Orange County .
Hundreds of protesters marched down Hollywood Boulevard in the heart of the tourist district @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as looters a few blocks away raided a a pharmacy and a cellphone store .
Facing another night of protests , Los Angeles County officials told residents to stay off the streets after 6 p.m. Monday or risk arrest .
County officials sparked confusion by sending an emergency alert at 3:30 p.m. announcing a 6 p.m. curfew .
A second alert , sent minutes later , announced a 5 p.m. curfew .
The second message was intended for Glendale residents and was sent in error , officials said .
The second night of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mostly peaceful protests to decry Floyd ’ s death in police custody in Minneapolis .
Nearly 1,200 people were arrested Sunday after police officers clashed with demonstrators and looters shattered windows and emptied stores in Santa Monica and Long Beach .
The county ’ s 6 p.m. curfew supersedes later curfews set by city governments , officials said , while city curfews set earlier than 6 p.m. will still apply .
Cities with their own curfews include : On Monday afternoon , dozens of Los Angeles Police Department officers lined Van Nuys Boulevard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outside their storefronts , some actively drilling plywood over their windows .
Some stores , including a pharmacy , were looted in Van Nuys , a few blocks from peaceful protests .
A large group of protesters chanted Floyd ’ s name and asked for justice .
Several said they did not want looters around .
In Hollywood , a growing group of protesters gathered next to Greenblatt ’ s Deli and the Laugh Factory on Sunset Boulevard and Laurel Avenue .
Sean Welch had scrawled “ Dying breed ” on his white @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because as a black man in America , he said , that ’ s what he was .
“ Cops have been killing us for years , ” Welch said .
“ What makes them believe it ’ s okay ?
” Behind him , a crew of men worked to board up the exterior and doors of a CB2 furniture store .
They had been busy this weekend , boarding up parts of the Beverly Center , a Trader Joe ’ s and a MedMen marijuana dispensary .
Los Angeles Police Chief @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were arrested Sunday in L.A. During mass protests , he said , protesters threw rocks , bricks and bottles at police officers .
On Saturday , nearly 400 people were arrested when looters targeted the Fairfax shopping district , including on Melrose Avenue .
The city “ lost 88 buildings on Melrose , ” Moore said .
On Friday , 500 people were arrested when protesters shut down several freeways in downtown L.A. , Moore said .
California ’ s new policy that eliminates bail for most misdemeanor arrests — an attempt to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — does not apply to looters , L.A. County Dist .
Atty .
Jackie Lacey said .
She urged victims to preserve video clips of crimes .
“ If you are a victim of a crime , if your business was in fact looted , vandalized , please do not erase any video tapes , ” she said .
“ We need that .
In court , we ’ ll be able to use that of course to get justice for you.
” Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia blamed looting and nearly 100 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ criminals who were unaffiliated with peaceful protests .
The groups have been “ hitting cities across the state , ” he said , pointing to a similar pattern of peaceful marches , then mayhem , in Santa Monica .
“ It ’ s pretty clear given the type of activity and how organized the activity was , there is a strategy going city to city and doing this criminal work , ” Garcia said .
The damage to small business owners , he said , was “ unacceptable.
” Luna said he agreed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and was “ offended and appalled ” by Floyd ’ s death .
Floyd died in handcuffs after police officer Derek Chauvin kept his knee on Floyd ’ s neck for more than eight minutes , while Floyd yelled that he could not breathe .
All Long Beach police officers have been called back from vacation , Luna said .
He said the idea that officers were “ just standing around ” and allowed unimpeded looting is “ complete BS.
” “ If you were looting and we have your license plate number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gon na come after you , ” Luna said .
“ Sunday was one of the most distressing days in Santa Monica history , ” Santa Monica Mayor Kevin McKeown said on Monday .
More than 400 people were arrested on suspicion of crimes that included looting , burglary , assault with a deadly weapon , assault on a police officer and curfew violations , Santa Monica Police Chief Cynthia Renaud said .
She estimated that 95 % of those arrested did not live in the city .
Demonstrators and looters were often @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the 4th Street shopping district appeared organized , smashing windows with crowbars and skateboards and loading stolen goods into waiting cars .
At least two police cars burned .
Several blocks away , police fired rubber bullets at demonstrators on Ocean Avenue after protesters threw eggs and water bottles .
A similar dynamic developed in downtown Long Beach .
At the Pike Outlets on Shoreline Drive , the crowd used hammers and threw trash can lids to smash windows .
Some protesters yelled at them to leave the stores alone .
Riot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the crowd fled .
On Monday , more than 100 masked volunteers flocked to Long Beach ’ s Harvey Milk Plaza with brooms , buckets and dustpans to clean up broken glass and scrub graffiti from walls .
So many people showed up that organizers began sending volunteers to help businesses in North Long Beach , arranging rides on a city bus .
Jennifer Perez and her husband brought their two children to the Long Beach protest on Sunday to teach them to raise their voice against injustice , she said .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ help clean up .
“ The flip side is , they have to come out and help when the bad happens too , ” Perez said .
“ Community ’ s important.
” L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti said people who engaged in “ destruction and looting ” were only hurting others in the community , saying : “ They have not just caused chaos and damage .
They are hijacking a moment and a movement.
” Times staff writers Alejandra Reyes-Velarde , Melissa Etehad , Faith Pinho , Joe Mozingo , Richard Winton @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Brittny Mejia , Leila Miller , Matthew Ormseth and Andrew Campa contributed to this report .

Alene Tchekmedyian, Matt Hamilton, Laura J. Nelson, Alex Wigglesworth, James Queally

An injured man gets up with the help of emergency workers during a protest May 27 in downtown L.A. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
A protester lies hurt on the 101 Freeway near downtown Los Angeles on May 27. (Gabriella Angotti-Jones / Los Angeles Times)
During a May 29 protest, Los Angeles police patrol the 110 after having moved protesters off the freeway. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
Police officers assume a defensive stance as a protester approaches them on the 110 Freeway on May 29. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Protesters climb over a barrier during the May 29 protest in downtown L.A. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
Protesters are arrested by Los Angeles police in front of City Hall on Saturday. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
A protester remains defiant after being pushed to the ground by police on Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles on Friday. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Police fire percussion rounds to clear protesters from Grand Avenue in in downtown Los Angeles on Friday. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Protesters gather around a fire in the middle of a downtown L.A. street on Friday. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Cecelia Rosales, who said she was homeless, walks past a line of police officers in Santa Monica on Sunday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Sake House employee Jared Settles can’t bear to watch as the restaurant burns in Santa Monica on Sunday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
Gilbert Haro and sons Richard, 8, and James, 6, help clean up in Santa Monica. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
Volunteers help clean up the mess left by looters in Long Beach. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
People out after curfew are arrested Monday at Sunset Boulevard and Gower Street. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
Arrests are made of those out after curfew in Hollywood. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
AJ Lovelace, director and writer, tries to stop looters from breaking into a Walgreens in Hollywood. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
A demonstrator, injured while trying to flee the firing of nonlethal rounds, lies on the ground in Riverside. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Demonstrators in Riverside retreat as county sheriff’s deputies fire nonlethal rounds on Monday after law enforcement announced an unlawful assembly. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
AJ Lovelace, a director and writer, and others keep potential looters from entering a dry cleaning store as they attempt to march peacefully. “We need peace and we need someone to talk to each other,” he said after the looters fled the scene. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
Khalil Mitchell speaks to protesters kneeling near a police line, preaching calm and working to preserve a peaceful protest on Monday. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
LAPD Cmdr. Gerald Woodyard takes a knee with protesters and L.A. clergy during a march in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
Thousands of protesters march down Spring Street in Los Angeles Wednesday night to demonstrate for justice in the killing of George Floyd. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
A protester confronts National Guardsmen as thousands of protesters march down Spring Street in Los Angeles to demonstrate for justice in the George Floyd murder by cop case Wednesday. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
Protestors turn on their cell phone flashlights at Los Angeles City Hall at 9 pm on Wednesday as part of a silent protest against the death of George Floyd. (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times)
Protesters stand on top of a bus stop at the Los Angeles Civic Center to demonstrate for justice Wednesday night. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
As a 6 p.m. curfew took effect Monday in Los Angeles County, the number of police officers swelled in Hollywood near multiple protests and in Van Nuys, where looters were ransacking businesses along a major commercial corridor.
Looting began in Van Nuys about 4 p.m., blocks away from a peaceful protest started by college students that lasted much of the day. Los Angeles Police Department officers fired bean bags at the crowd after looters ransacked a shoe store, a pharmacy, a watch repair stand and other small businesses on Van Nuys Boulevard. Authorities were also responding to a fire at a strip mall.
Earlier Monday afternoon, three separate protests moved through Hollywood, including a group that marched down Hollywood Boulevard in the heart of the tourist district. Other protesters gathered in downtown Los Angeles and in Anaheim.
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Demonstrators also briefly shut down the northbound 405 Freeway in Westwood by walking onto the Wilshire Boulevard on-ramp. Some drivers honked in solidarity, and others stopped their cars to join.
The third night of countywide curfews followed days of massive, mostly peaceful protests to decry George Floyd’s death in police custody in Minneapolis. Nearly 1,200 people were arrested Sunday after police officers clashed with demonstrators and looters shattered windows and emptied stores in Santa Monica and Long Beach.
County officials sparked confusion by sending an emergency alert at 3:30 p.m. announcing a 6 p.m. curfew. A second alert, sent minutes later, announced a 5 p.m. curfew. The second message was intended for Glendale residents and was sent in error, officials said.
Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said Monday evening that people who looted and vandalized during largely peaceful protests across Southern California this weekend were “capitalizing” on the death of George Floyd.
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About 700 people were arrested Sunday during mass protests over Floyd’s death and police brutality. Of those arrests, 10% were connected to burglary or looting, Moore said.
“We didn’t have protests last night — we had criminal acts,” Moore said during a news conference with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. “We didn’t have people mourning the death of this man, George Floyd — we had people capitalizing. His death is on their hands as much as it is those officers.”
Moore apologized minutes later, saying he “misspoke when I said his blood is on their hands” and that he regretted “that characterization.”
“But I don’t regret, nor will I apologize, to those who are out there today committing violence, destroying lives and livelihoods and creating this destruction,” Moore said. “His memory deserves reform. His memory deserves a better Los Angeles, a better United States and a better world.”
In Van Nuys, protesters began to disperse just before 5 p.m., saying they had received the county’s erroneous 5 p.m. curfew alert and did not want to be outside. Others said they didn’t want to be near the looting that had started.
Several business owners stood outside their storefronts, drilling plywood over their windows. A few blocks away, looters were smashing store windows, including retailers that sold shoes, watches and cell phones.
https://twitter.com/jaclyncosgrove/status/1267620162196275201/photo/1
Eva Bandikian, the manager at Kovac’s Care Pharmacy, said looters broke the lock on the door and stole “everything,” including money, the cash register and medicine.
Bandikian watched a feed from the store’s surveillance camera on her phone as about 10 young people stormed in.
“It doesn’t have anything to do with us,” she said. “They’re angry with the police and with the government.”
One looter in Van Nuys, who wore a purple face mask and a gray hooded sweatshirt, said that calls for peaceful protest, including from Floyd’s brother, had not solved the systemic racism facing black residents.
“We’re just trying to find peace and justice,” said the man, who declined to give his name. “All the stuff they did didn’t bring peace to us. So we’re just trying to survive.”
In Hollywood, meanwhile, a growing group of protesters gathered next to Greenblatt’s Deli and the Laugh Factory at Sunset Boulevard and Laurel Avenue.
Late Monday afternoon, LAPD Cmdr. Cory Palka took the megaphone from demonstrators, urging them to protest in peace, abide by the county’s 6 p.m. curfew and leave nearby businesses untouched.
“If I take a knee with you guys, will you give me your verbal acknowledgement that this is a peaceful matter?” Palka yelled. The crowd screamed in approval. Someone yelled: “Lead by example!”
Palka knelt on Sunset Boulevard. After resting his left elbow on his folded knee, he moved to stand up. “We stand together,” he told the crowd. They all stood.
Protester Nathaniel Johnson, 30 of Hollywood, said the police department’s commitment to kneeling with demonstrators would have to be borne out with change. He wondered: “They took a knee now, but are they kneeling on us later?”
Sean Welch, who attended the West Hollywood protest, had scrawled “dying breed” on his white T-shirt with black and red Sharpie. As a black man in America, he said, that’s what he was.
“Cops have been killing us for years,” Welch said. “What makes them believe it’s OK?”
Behind him, a crew of men worked to board up the exterior and doors of a CB2 furniture store. They had been busy this weekend, boarding up parts of the Beverly Center, a Trader Joe’s and a MedMen marijuana dispensary.
On Saturday, nearly 400 people were arrested when looters targeted the Fairfax shopping district, including on Melrose Avenue. The city “lost 88 buildings on Melrose,” Moore said.
On Friday, 500 people were arrested when protesters shut down several freeways in downtown L.A., Moore said.
California’s new policy that eliminates bail for most misdemeanor arrests — an attempt to limit the spread of COVID-19 in jails — does not apply to looters, L.A. County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey said. She urged victims to preserve video clips of crimes.
“If you are a victim of a crime, if your business was in fact looted, vandalized, please do not erase any video tapes,” she said. “We need that. In court, we’ll be able to use that of course to get justice for you.”
Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia blamed looting and nearly 100 small fires in his city on organized criminals who were unaffiliated with peaceful protests. The groups have been “hitting cities across the state,” he said, pointing to a similar pattern of peaceful marches, then mayhem, in Santa Monica.
California LAPD focused on peaceful protesters while ignoring looting, business owners say Despite efforts by the mayor and police chief to strike the right tone in their response to the protests over the death of George Floyd, many in Los Angeles say they missed the mark.
“It’s pretty clear given the type of activity and how organized the activity was, there is a strategy going city to city and doing this criminal work,” Garcia said. The damage to small business owners, he said, was “unacceptable.”
Luna said he agreed with the spirit of the protests, and was “offended and appalled” by Floyd’s death. Floyd died in handcuffs after police officer Derek Chauvin kept his knee on Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes, while Floyd yelled that he could not breathe.
All Long Beach police officers have been called back from vacation, Luna said. He said the idea that officers were “just standing around” and allowed unimpeded looting is “complete BS.”
“If you were looting and we have your license plate number and your face, we’re gonna come after you,” Luna said.
“Sunday was one of the most distressing days in Santa Monica history,” Santa Monica Mayor Kevin McKeown said on Monday.
More than 400 people were arrested on suspicion of crimes that included looting, burglary, assault with a deadly weapon, assault on a police officer and curfew violations, Santa Monica Police Chief Cynthia Renaud said. She estimated that 95% of those arrested did not live in the city.
Demonstrators and looters were often just a few blocks apart. Looters in the 4th Street shopping district appeared organized, smashing windows with crowbars and skateboards and loading stolen goods into waiting cars. At least two police cars burned.
Several blocks away, police fired rubber bullets at demonstrators on Ocean Avenue after protesters threw eggs and water bottles.
A similar dynamic developed in downtown Long Beach. At the Pike Outlets on Shoreline Drive, the crowd used hammers and threw trash can lids to smash windows. Some protesters yelled at them to leave the stores alone. Riot police moved in after 6 p.m. and the crowd fled.
On Monday, more than 100 masked volunteers flocked to Long Beach’s Harvey Milk Plaza with brooms, buckets and dustpans to clean up broken glass and scrub graffiti from walls.
Times staff writers Alejandra Reyes-Velarde, Melissa Etehad, Faith Pinho, Joe Mozingo, Richard Winton, Joseph Serna, Ruben Vives, Brittny Mejia, Leila Miller, Matthew Ormseth and Andrew Campa contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-06-01--Skelton: To solve California's coronavirus-fueled budget woes, Newsom should gamble on sports bettin

Skelton: To solve California's coronavirus-fueled budget woes, Newsom should gamble on sports betting

If we legalize sports betting in California , schoolkids will be the winners .
Maybe also the aged poor .
And working single moms looking for child care while schools are shuttered .
Practically every state legislator — Democrat and Republican — is attacking Gov .
Gavin Newsom ’ s proposed draconian cuts in funding for K-12 schools , impoverished seniors , healthcare for the poor and a long list of safety net programs .
But very few are suggesting serious ways to blunt the governor ’ s chopping ax by raising new revenue — the dirty T-word for tax @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dodd of Napa and Assemblyman Adam Gray of Merced .
They ’ re proposing that California finally legalize sports betting — as 23 other states have done — and reap several hundred million dollars annually in “ sin ” taxes .
Nothing wrong with sin taxes .
If people are sinning anyway — such as gambling on professional sports — the state might as well make money off it .
Anyway , in many cases , there ’ s no public consensus on what constitutes a so-called sin .
We long have taxed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , we fully legalized marijuana and now are taxing the drug .
In 1984 , Californians voted overwhelmingly to create a state lottery , which is providing $ 1.3 billion for K-12 schools — 1.3 % of their total spending .
I don ’ t bet on sports because I like to enjoy the games for their own sake and not get hung up on whether the point spread is going to affect my wallet .
I want Clayton Kershaw to pitch a shutout ; bleep the betting line .
But not everyone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make sports gamblers pigeons for the tax collector ?
Dodd and Gray figure their proposed state constitutional amendment , SCA 6 , would generate at least $ 200 million in taxes the first year and between $ 500 million and $ 700 million annually once the legal wagering market is developed .
That ’ s only a small piece of the state revenue puzzle , but as Dodd says : “ Our state budget is being hammered .
There are lots of victims .
We have to find as many sources of revenue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one with real money .
“ There ’ s already billions of dollars of illegal sports gambling going on in the state .
There ’ s no regulatory framework .
There ’ s no taxation.
” Last week , the Assembly held a very rare “ committee of the whole ” — the last time was 25 years ago — to hear and question experts about the state ’ s budget plight .
The governor projects a $ 54-billion deficit because the economy was essentially shut down when people were confined to their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus .
The four-hour session quickly turned into a bipartisan platform for dumping on Newsom .
Democratic Assemblyman Kevin McCarty of Sacramento called the budget cuts a “ death knell ” for early-childhood education .
Newsom has promised to rescind $ 14 billion in proposed cuts if Congress and President Trump send the states a bailout package .
Many legislators feel that ’ s an unrealistic pipe dream , especially given Trump ’ s past antagonism toward California .
That “ feels like an over-dependence on the federal government with an unpredictable administration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wood , a dentist .
“ If you are aged , poor or disabled , this budget is devastating.
” Gray was about the only Assembly member who stood up with some partial solutions .
He suggested sports betting and some other revenue-raisers .
Lottery winnings aren ’ t currently taxed by the state , although they are by the feds .
Gray would tax winnings exceeding $ 1 million and earn the state between $ 40 million and $ 400 million a year , depending on the players ’ luck .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you shouldn ’ t complain about paying state taxes , ” Gray says .
He ’ d stop allowing gamblers to write off losses against winnings in calculating their state income taxes .
That could bring in between $ 300 million and $ 500 million .
Gray also would tax e-cigarettes at a higher rate than Newsom proposes , netting an additional $ 70 million .
“ Before we start cutting schools and healthcare , we should take stock of our revenue options , ” Gray told me .
“ It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s a mistake to sit back and wait for Congress to solve our problems.
” Two Republican assemblymen , Kevin Kiley of Rocklin and Vince Fong of Bakersfield , proposed grabbing roughly $ 3 billion in bullet-train project money and giving it to schools .
Legally that ’ s possible .
Politically it ’ s improbable .
The sports betting measure would allow wagering only on pro games .
A bettor would need to be at least 21 .
The authors say major sports leagues support the proposal .
But the measure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ passing the Legislature and getting on the November ballot .
For starters , it requires a two-thirds majority vote of each house .
Big Indian gaming tribes don ’ t like its main feature : online betting from the convenience of the bettor ’ s home .
They want people betting inside their casinos .
The tribes were sponsoring their own ballot initiative , but collection of voter signatures collapsed because of the coronavirus .
Now they won ’ t be able to qualify a measure until the 2022 ballot .
The Dodd-Gray @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tribal casinos , horse racetracks and card rooms .
Casinos and racetracks could operate sports betting — in-house and online .
Card rooms would be excluded , but they ’ d also benefit .
Their current card games would be cemented into law , safe from the constant assaults of tribes and the state attorney general .
The measure is unlikely to pass unless the three gambling interests agree to play .
They ’ d win and so would California budget victims .

Amado Nanalang watches basketball games while making bets at a sports book in Las Vegas. Some legislators hope to legalize sports betting in California.
If we legalize sports betting in California, schoolkids will be the winners.
Maybe also the aged poor. And working single moms looking for child care while schools are shuttered.
Practically every state legislator — Democrat and Republican — is attacking Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed draconian cuts in funding for K-12 schools, impoverished seniors, healthcare for the poor and a long list of safety net programs.
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But very few are suggesting serious ways to blunt the governor’s chopping ax by raising new revenue — the dirty T-word for tax.
Two exceptions are Democratic Sen. Bill Dodd of Napa and Assemblyman Adam Gray of Merced. They’re proposing that California finally legalize sports betting — as 23 other states have done — and reap several hundred million dollars annually in “sin” taxes.
Nothing wrong with sin taxes. If people are sinning anyway — such as gambling on professional sports — the state might as well make money off it. Anyway, in many cases, there’s no public consensus on what constitutes a so-called sin.
We long have taxed liquor and tobacco. Four years ago, we fully legalized marijuana and now are taxing the drug. In 1984, Californians voted overwhelmingly to create a state lottery, which is providing $1.3 billion for K-12 schools — 1.3% of their total spending.
I don’t bet on sports because I like to enjoy the games for their own sake and not get hung up on whether the point spread is going to affect my wallet. I want Clayton Kershaw to pitch a shutout; bleep the betting line.
But not everyone shares that view, so why not make sports gamblers pigeons for the tax collector?
Dodd and Gray figure their proposed state constitutional amendment, SCA 6, would generate at least $200 million in taxes the first year and between $500 million and $700 million annually once the legal wagering market is developed.
That’s only a small piece of the state revenue puzzle, but as Dodd says: “Our state budget is being hammered. There are lots of victims. We have to find as many sources of revenue as possible. And here’s one with real money.
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“There’s already billions of dollars of illegal sports gambling going on in the state. There’s no regulatory framework. There’s no taxation.”
Last week, the Assembly held a very rare “committee of the whole” — the last time was 25 years ago — to hear and question experts about the state’s budget plight. The governor projects a $54-billion deficit because the economy was essentially shut down when people were confined to their homes to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
The four-hour session quickly turned into a bipartisan platform for dumping on Newsom.
Democratic Assemblyman Kevin McCarty of Sacramento called the budget cuts a “death knell” for early-childhood education.
Newsom has promised to rescind $14 billion in proposed cuts if Congress and President Trump send the states a bailout package. Many legislators feel that’s an unrealistic pipe dream, especially given Trump’s past antagonism toward California.
That “feels like an over-dependence on the federal government with an unpredictable administration,” said Healdsburg Democratic Assemblyman Jim Wood, a dentist. “If you are aged, poor or disabled, this budget is devastating.”
Gray was about the only Assembly member who stood up with some partial solutions. He suggested sports betting and some other revenue-raisers.
Lottery winnings aren’t currently taxed by the state, although they are by the feds. Gray would tax winnings exceeding $1 million and earn the state between $40 million and $400 million a year, depending on the players’ luck.
“If you won $100 million, you shouldn’t complain about paying state taxes,” Gray says.
He’d stop allowing gamblers to write off losses against winnings in calculating their state income taxes. That could bring in between $300 million and $500 million.
Gray also would tax e-cigarettes at a higher rate than Newsom proposes, netting an additional $70 million.
“Before we start cutting schools and healthcare, we should take stock of our revenue options,” Gray told me. “It’s the responsible thing to do. It’s a mistake to sit back and wait for Congress to solve our problems.”
Two Republican assemblymen, Kevin Kiley of Rocklin and Vince Fong of Bakersfield, proposed grabbing roughly $3 billion in bullet-train project money and giving it to schools. Legally that’s possible. Politically it’s improbable.
The sports betting measure would allow wagering only on pro games. A bettor would need to be at least 21. The authors say major sports leagues support the proposal.
But the measure doesn’t have high odds of passing the Legislature and getting on the November ballot. For starters, it requires a two-thirds majority vote of each house.
Big Indian gaming tribes don’t like its main feature: online betting from the convenience of the bettor’s home. They want people betting inside their casinos.
The tribes were sponsoring their own ballot initiative, but collection of voter signatures collapsed because of the coronavirus. Now they won’t be able to qualify a measure until the 2022 ballot.
The Dodd-Gray proposal seeks a compromise among the long-warring tribal casinos, horse racetracks and card rooms. Casinos and racetracks could operate sports betting — in-house and online.
Card rooms would be excluded, but they’d also benefit. Their current card games would be cemented into law, safe from the constant assaults of tribes and the state attorney general.
The measure is unlikely to pass unless the three gambling interests agree to play. They’d win and so would California budget victims.


latimes--2020-05-31--Shyong: What images of burning buildings and broken windows tell us, and what they don't

People tend to look for answers after a fire , but we ’ re rarely satisfied by the ones we get .
A few years ago , reporting on wildfires in Northern California , I arrived in Calaveras County just as residents returned and a painful quest for answers was beginning .
Why did the wind carry the spark to my home but not my neighbor ’ s ?
Why did I survive while my friend died ?
Why this town ?
Why me ?
So far this season there have been more than 800 fires burning across California , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of these questions in their aftermath .
Fires have this visceral , visual quality that shapes the stories we tell about them .
A burning building is its own self-contained narrative , implying victims , villains and heroes within a single frame .
But the real narrative of wildfires offers no simple answers to its victims .
The vast majority of wildfires are started by human beings : a utility company delaying repairs , a careless smoker , a sloppy camper .
Homes are destroyed and people die because we keep building communities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And the biggest root cause is human-led climate change .
The painful questions often had a painful answer : The fire burns because of us .
I think the same is true for the fires that burned in cities across America this past week as protesters took to the streets to demand justice for the death of George Floyd while in the custody of four police officers .
They happened because of us .
And as the protests continue , I see us again searching for easy answers .
We try to paint @ @ @ @ @ @ @ monsters , and George Floyd as the perfect victim , because it ’ s easier for us to believe that this violence can be explained by the moral failings of individuals , rather than by the racist systems that enable these behaviors across the country — systems that we ourselves enable .
So it was not hard for us to condemn Derek Chauvin , who on Friday was charged with third-degree murder , after we saw the clip of him slowly strangling Floyd , handcuffed and helpless on the ground .
And when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that black communities around the country are justifiably angry at a criminal justice system that demonizes them , treats them as subhuman , and has done so for centuries .
But then the protests turned violent — a manifestation of that anger — and some of us thought well , we can ’ t support violence .
And because we can ’ t comprehend an anger that justifies the destruction of property and businesses , we decide that it can ’ t be justified — rather than trying to understand the magnitude of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as senseless , but it is not .
We ask the protesters to wait for an investigation because we want to believe that our court system can deliver justice , but we can ’ t accept that for black Americans it never has .
These fires burn because of us .
And to understand what ’ s happening , we need to try to deny ourselves the easy answers and understand these incidents as part of a larger story of how racism fuels American policing and inflicts daily violence on black people .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ money and property during the riots in downtown Los Angeles and the Fairfax district this past weekend don ’ t want to read this .
I can ’ t think of a less deserving target for violence than small businesses , exhausted from battling the twin existential threats of coronavirus and a quarantine-led recession .
I understand why they ask the question , “ Why me ?
” A common sentiment I hear is that rioting is not the answer .
But the painful truth is that rioting is not supposed to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ explicitly an expression of anger and frustration , a fire whose sparks land indiscriminately .
A city burning is what happens when people have abandoned hope for answers .
In Los Angeles , many residents remember what it ’ s like to try to answer the questions that images of a burning city raise .
And if we have found a meaningful answer to the questions raised by the 1992 riots , or the Watts riots , or the Zoot Suit Riots , I ’ ve never encountered it .
Every few decades @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that we have not solved these problems .
And when we focus only the fires and why they ignited , we failed to grasp that they have been burning for centuries .
The ‘ 92 riots can ’ t be understood through a few days in April .
And I don ’ t think what ’ s happening in around the country can be understood through a few video clips .
Videos on social media are becoming the primary way we form our understanding of incidents like this , and their power as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a curse .
They offer us an inarguable account of what is happening , and bystander videos have raised attention to issues of racial injustice that would otherwise be ignored and downplayed .
But the story of a protest is complex and long , and images of burning buildings are just a small part of it .
And these images contain embedded , repetitive narratives that lock us into the same tired debates , with the same easy answers .
There will be more violent images and videos to pore over and interpret @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s important to think hard about what the videos of burning buildings show , and don ’ t show .
They don ’ t show the generational trauma of racism and the pain of countless lost brothers , sisters , fathers and mothers .
They don ’ t show the brutality of the police violence that black communities live under .
And they don ’ t depict all the protesters trying to get the looters to stop , or the thousands of people who demonstrated peacefully , or the people who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up broken glass and offer a shoulder to cry on .
I don ’ t point this out to excuse violence , but to prevent it .
The fires we ’ re seeing were lit when our nation was founded , and they won ’ t be extinguished until we can understand why they burn .

A man runs from the Sake House restaurant as it burns in Santa Monica on Sunday.
People tend to look for answers after a fire, but we’re rarely satisfied by the ones we get.
A few years ago, reporting on wildfires in Northern California, I arrived in Calaveras County just as residents returned and a painful quest for answers was beginning. Why did the wind carry the spark to my home but not my neighbor’s? Why did I survive while my friend died? Why this town? Why me?
So far this season there have been more than 800 fires burning across California, and all of them will leave some of these questions in their aftermath. Fires have this visceral, visual quality that shapes the stories we tell about them. A burning building is its own self-contained narrative, implying victims, villains and heroes within a single frame.
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1 / 81 Protesters stand on top of a burned LAPD cruiser. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 81 Protesters stand on top of a bus stop at the Los Angeles Civic Center to demonstrate for justice Wednesday night. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times) 3 / 81 Protestors turn on their cell phone flashlights at Los Angeles City Hall at 9 pm on Wednesday as part of a silent protest against the death of George Floyd. (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times) 4 / 81 A protester confronts National Guardsmen as thousands of protesters march down Spring Street in Los Angeles to demonstrate for justice in the George Floyd murder by cop case Wednesday. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times) 5 / 81 Protesters dance on Spring Street in downtown Los Angeles Wednesday night. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times) 6 / 81 Thousands of protesters march down Spring Street in Los Angeles Wednesday night to demonstrate for justice in the killing of George Floyd. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times) 7 / 81 LAPD Cmdr. Gerald Woodyard takes a knee with protesters and L.A. clergy during a march in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times) 8 / 81 Khalil Mitchell speaks to protesters kneeling near a police line, preaching calm and working to preserve a peaceful protest on Monday. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times) 9 / 81 In Hollywood, hundreds of protesters march Monday against police brutality. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 81 AJ Lovelace, a director and writer, and others keep potential looters from entering a dry cleaning store as they attempt to march peacefully. “We need peace and we need someone to talk to each other,” he said after the looters fled the scene. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times) 11 / 81 Demonstrators in Riverside retreat as county sheriff’s deputies fire nonlethal rounds on Monday after law enforcement announced an unlawful assembly. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 81 Protesters in Riverside. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 81 An arrest in Hollywood during a protest Monday. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 81 A demonstrator, injured while trying to flee the firing of nonlethal rounds, lies on the ground in Riverside. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 81 An LAPD officer arrests a looting suspect in an alley behind a Hollywood Boulevard store. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 81 Riverside County deputies advance on demonstrators on Monday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 81 Fireworks thrown by a protester explode at the feet of Riverside police. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 18 / 81 Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco takes a knee with demonstrators. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 19 / 81 A watch and jewelry store is looted in Van Nuys on Monday. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 20 / 81 A looting arrest in Van Nuys. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 81 AJ Lovelace, director and writer, tries to stop looters from breaking into a Walgreens in Hollywood. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 22 / 81 An LAPD officer arrests a suspected looter in an alley behind a Hollywood Boulevard store. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 23 / 81 Police advance on a line of protesters in Hollywood, firing rubber bullets. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 24 / 81 Arrests are made of those out after curfew in Hollywood. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 25 / 81 Protesters in Hollywood. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 26 / 81 A store is looted in Hollywood. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 27 / 81 Protesters in Hollywood. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 28 / 81 People out after curfew are arrested Monday at Sunset Boulevard and Gower Street. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 29 / 81 Arrests in Hollywood. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 30 / 81 Protests in Westwood. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 31 / 81 Volunteers help clean up the mess left by looters in Long Beach. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 32 / 81 Protest in Hollywood. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 33 / 81 National Guardsmen outside Santa Monica Place. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 34 / 81 Gilbert Haro and sons Richard, 8, and James, 6, help clean up in Santa Monica. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 35 / 81 Protesters face off with police in Santa Monica on Sunday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 36 / 81 Santa Monica stores were the target of looting on Sunday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 37 / 81 Suspected looters in custody in Santa Monica on Sunday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 38 / 81 L.A. County sheriff’s deputies in Santa Monica on Sunday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 39 / 81 Sake House employee Jared Settles can’t bear to watch as the restaurant burns in Santa Monica on Sunday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 40 / 81 An arrest in Santa Monica on Sunday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 41 / 81 Broken glass from a looted store covers the sidewalk in Santa Monica. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 42 / 81 Cecelia Rosales, who said she was homeless, walks past a line of police officers in Santa Monica on Sunday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 43 / 81 A man guards a convenience store in Santa Monica. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 44 / 81 Looting erupted Sunday in Long Beach. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 45 / 81 Police and protesters face off in Santa Monica on Sunday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 46 / 81 A police officer inspects the damage to a Santa Monica supermarket. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 47 / 81 A protester is treated after being struck by a rubber bullet. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 48 / 81 Looting in Long Beach on Sunday. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 49 / 81 Looting in Long Beach. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 50 / 81 A suspected looter in Long Beach. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 51 / 81 Smashing windows in Santa Monica. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 52 / 81 An arrest in Santa Monica on Sunday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 53 / 81 People walk away with surfboards in Santa Monica on Sunday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 54 / 81 People rush out of a looted store in Santa Monica. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 55 / 81 Protesters in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times) 56 / 81 Cheers for protesters in downtown Los Angeles. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times) 57 / 81 City Hall on Sunday. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times) 58 / 81 A shattered storefront on Melrose Avenue on Sunday. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times) 59 / 81 Smashed windows on La Cienega Boulevard. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times) 60 / 81 Downtown L.A. on Sunday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 61 / 81 People carry merchandise from a looted store. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 62 / 81 A person carries items from a looted store in the Fairfax District on Saturday. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 63 / 81 A couple of protesters embrace on Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles Saturday. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times) 64 / 81 People protest Saturday at Pan Pacific Park. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times) 65 / 81 Protesters gather around a fire in the middle of a downtown L.A. street on Friday. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 66 / 81 Police fire percussion rounds to clear protesters from Grand Avenue in in downtown Los Angeles on Friday. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 67 / 81 A protester remains defiant after being pushed to the ground by police on Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles on Friday. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 68 / 81 Protesters are arrested by Los Angeles police in front of City Hall on Saturday. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 69 / 81 Protesters block the 110 Freeway. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 70 / 81 Protesters take to the streets Friday in downtown L.A. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 71 / 81 Protesters are escorted off the northbound 110 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 72 / 81 A protester is escorted off the northbound 110 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 73 / 81 Protesters climb over a barrier during the May 29 protest in downtown L.A. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 74 / 81 Protesters block the 110 Freeway northbound and southbound in downtown Los Angeles. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 75 / 81 Police officers assume a defensive stance as a protester approaches them on the 110 Freeway on May 29. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 76 / 81 During a May 29 protest, Los Angeles police patrol the 110 after having moved protesters off the freeway. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 77 / 81 A protester rides a skateboard on the 110 Freeway. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 78 / 81 Protesters block the 110 Freeway northbound and southbound in downtown Los Angeles. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 79 / 81 A protester confronts LAPD officers on Friday in downtown L.A. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 80 / 81 A protester lies hurt on the 101 Freeway near downtown Los Angeles on May 27. (Gabriella Angotti-Jones / Los Angeles Times) 81 / 81 An injured man gets up with the help of emergency workers during a protest May 27 in downtown L.A. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
But the real narrative of wildfires offers no simple answers to its victims. The vast majority of wildfires are started by human beings: a utility company delaying repairs, a careless smoker, a sloppy camper. Homes are destroyed and people die because we keep building communities in areas we know will burn. And the biggest root cause is human-led climate change. The painful questions often had a painful answer: The fire burns because of us.
I think the same is true for the fires that burned in cities across America this past week as protesters took to the streets to demand justice for the death of George Floyd while in the custody of four police officers. They happened because of us.
And as the protests continue, I see us again searching for easy answers.
We try to paint the police officers involved as the perfect monsters, and George Floyd as the perfect victim, because it’s easier for us to believe that this violence can be explained by the moral failings of individuals, rather than by the racist systems that enable these behaviors across the country — systems that we ourselves enable.
So it was not hard for us to condemn Derek Chauvin, who on Friday was charged with third-degree murder, after we saw the clip of him slowly strangling Floyd, handcuffed and helpless on the ground.
And when the protests began, we could acknowledge that black communities around the country are justifiably angry at a criminal justice system that demonizes them, treats them as subhuman, and has done so for centuries. But then the protests turned violent — a manifestation of that anger — and some of us thought, well, we can’t support violence.
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And because we can’t comprehend an anger that justifies the destruction of property and businesses, we decide that it can’t be justified — rather than trying to understand the magnitude of the anger. We describe the violence as senseless, but it is not.
We ask the protesters to wait for an investigation because we want to believe that our court system can deliver justice, but we can’t accept that for black Americans it never has.
These fires burn because of us. And to understand what’s happening, we need to try to deny ourselves the easy answers and understand these incidents as part of a larger story of how racism fuels American policing and inflicts daily violence on black people.
I know that the families who lost money and property during the riots in downtown Los Angeles and the Fairfax district this past weekend don’t want to read this. I can’t think of a less deserving target for violence than small businesses, exhausted from battling the twin existential threats of the coronavirus and a quarantine-led recession. I understand why they ask the question, “Why me?”
A common sentiment I hear is that rioting is not the answer. But the painful truth is that rioting is not supposed to be an answer to anything. It is explicitly an expression of anger and frustration, a fire whose sparks land indiscriminately. A city burning is what happens when people have abandoned hope for answers.
In Los Angeles, many residents remember what it’s like to try to answer the questions that images of a burning city raise. And if we have found a meaningful answer to the questions raised by the 1992 riots, or the Watts riots, or the Zoot Suit Riots, I’ve never encountered it. Every few decades in this city, violence reminds us that we have not solved these problems. And when we focus only on the fires and why they ignited, we fail to grasp that they have been burning for centuries.
The ‘92 riots can’t be understood through a few days in April. And I don’t think what’s happening around the country can be understood through a few video clips.
Videos on social media are becoming the primary way we form our understanding of incidents like this, and their power as a medium is both a blessing and a curse. They offer us an inarguable account of what is happening, and bystander videos have brought attention to issues of racial injustice that would otherwise be ignored and downplayed. But the story of a protest is complex and long, and images of burning buildings are just a small part of it. And these images contain embedded, repetitive narratives that lock us into the same tired debates, with the same easy answers.
There will be more violent images and videos to pore over and interpret in the coming days and weeks. It’s important to think hard about what the videos of burning buildings show, and don’t show.
They don’t show the generational trauma of racism and the pain of countless lost brothers, sisters, fathers and mothers. They don’t show the brutality of the police violence that black communities live under. And they don’t depict all the protesters trying to get the looters to stop, or the thousands of people who demonstrated peacefully, or the people who show up the next day to sweep up broken glass and offer a shoulder to cry on.
I don’t point this out to excuse violence, but to prevent it. The fires we’re seeing were lit when our nation was founded, and they won’t be extinguished until we can understand why they burn.