latimes--2020-05-31--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.


latimes--2020-05-31--Long Beach hit hard by looters as crowds roam through downtown

As protesters demonstrated against police abuse on Ocean Boulevard in Long Beach Sunday , some looters hit a nearby shopping center and ran away with merchandise .
The protest decrying the death of George Floyd , a black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck , was initially peaceful in the city .
Hundreds of participants , many chanting and holding signs reading “ no justice , no peace ” and “ black lives matter ” walked from the city ’ s downtown area through Alamitos Beach , along Broadway , before circling back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ afternoon .
However , shortly after 5 p.m. , hundreds of protesters began looting stores at the Pike Outlets .
The crowd used hammers and threw trash can lids to smash the windows of businesses .
Some protesters yelled for them to leave the stores alone .
Others yelled , “ Let ’ s hit Nike ” before running toward the popular athletic store .
Several minutes later a mob rushed back and stormed into Forever 21 , slipping from clothes scattered on the floor .
At G By Guess , a man @ @ @ @ @ @ @ door before another man intervened and asked him to stop .
Suddenly those wanting to loot the store began punching the man .
A woman yelled for them to stop .
A T-Mobile store was also hit .
Some protesters were dismayed by the scene .
Chandarley Lim kept saying , “ peaceful protest , peaceful protest.
” She said she was sad to see vandalism and people trying to break into stores .
“ This is sad , man , ” she said of the looting .
“ This is not a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the bad examples ruin it for the rest of us.
” Another protester screamed at one of the looters , repeating , “ Is this how you protest ?
” Before sunset , police and demonstrators were in a standoff near the Pike Outlets .
Patrol cars were hit with eggs and water bottles as people began rushing police officers .
Sirens screamed through the streets of Long Beach and the sound of helicopters disrupted quiet neighborhoods adjacent to downtown .
By 8 p.m. , officers had cleared the area along Pine Avenue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ downtown area .
At least four businesses in the area , including a Wells Fargo bank , had been burglarized .
The unrest prompted Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia to institute a curfew in the city from 8 p.m. Sunday to 5 a.m. Monday .
“ America with all of our diversity has a dark and long history with race and Long Beach has not been exempt from this , ” he wrote in a statement on Twitter .
“ Over the last several days and after nearly three months of battling COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ civil unrest and protests .
We hear you and are listening.
” Mark Lira , co-owner of L ’ Opera , was home when his wife noticed looters had broken into the Italian restaurant .
Lira said he had spent most of the day boarding up the business .
He rushed over to the downtown eatery on the corner of Pine and 1st Street and ran inside , cursing at looters who had stolen liquor and broken glass and plates .
He said he got help from his brother and other demonstrators who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in while he ran through the downstairs and upstairs sections of the restaurant , surveying the damage .
Inside , planters were on the floor and glasses in the kitchen were smashed .
“ They destroyed the bar , ” he said .
Lira was preparing to reopen the restaurant on Monday after being closed because of the pandemic , but now he said that opening has been delayed at least by another month .
He said he was supportive of the demonstration but was not in favor of people breaking into businesses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ problem , ” he said .
“ I ’ m just trying to make a living.
” Earlier in the day , other business owners across Long Beach also rushed to board up restaurants , clothing stores and galleries .
Among them was Thomas Liu , owner of Loose Leaf Boba .
He said he spent a few hundred dollars to buy materials to board up his businesses .
Liu said he had friends who own sushi , boba and ice cream stores that had been vandalized and broken into .
Liu was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the protests , ” he said .
But Liu said he wasn ’ t in favor of vandalism .
He said many businesses are losing money just boarding up their businesses .
Pointing across the street at Portuguese Bend , a distillery and restaurant that opened its doors last year , he said boarding it up cost anywhere from $ 3,000 to $ 4,000 and an additional $ 8,000 for labor .
Nearby , contractors were working to shore up other restaurants and a Ross store .
Around the corner , Monica Fleming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as co-owner Vinny Picardí and Alan Parks , 62 , boarded up the gallery .
Inside , friends were moving artwork to the back or out of the space .
“ I ’ m a little stressed , ” she said , wearing a mask .
“ It ’ s unfortunate we have to do this.
” She said she called on friends to help move artwork out of the gallery .
Most of the artwork — sculpture , photos and paintings — is by local artists .
Fleming said she was in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t believe in the violence and vandalism that has broken out in recent days .
The gallery , which has been in Long Beach for three years but just a year at the current location , had only a few pieces of sculpture that Fleming and others were still moving around .
Picardi grew frustrated that police weren ’ t doing enough to protect businesses , forcing business owners to do it themselves .
He said he didn ’ t understand why demonstrators were damaging and looting businesses owned by people of color @

As protesters demonstrated against police abuse on Ocean Boulevard in Long Beach Sunday, some looters hit a nearby shopping center and ran away with merchandise.
The protest decrying the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck, was initially peaceful in the city. Hundreds of participants, many chanting and holding signs reading “no justice, no peace” and “black lives matter” walked from the city’s downtown area through Alamitos Beach, along Broadway, before circling back to downtown along Ocean Boulevard on Sunday afternoon.
However, shortly after 5 p.m., hundreds of protesters began looting stores at the Pike Outlets. The crowd used hammers and threw trash can lids to smash the windows of businesses. Some protesters yelled for them to leave the stores alone. Others yelled, “Let’s hit Nike” before running toward the popular athletic store.
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Several minutes later a mob rushed back and stormed into Forever 21, slipping from clothes scattered on the floor. At G By Guess, a man used a hammer to smash the store door before another man intervened and asked him to stop. Suddenly those wanting to loot the store began punching the man. A woman yelled for them to stop.
A T-Mobile store was also hit. Some protesters were dismayed by the scene.
Chandarley Lim kept saying, “peaceful protest, peaceful protest.” She said she was sad to see vandalism and people trying to break into stores.
“This is sad, man,” she said of the looting. “This is not a good look. Don’t let the bad examples ruin it for the rest of us.”
Another protester screamed at one of the looters, repeating, “Is this how you protest?”
× On Sunday, May 31, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the Long Beach Police Department headquarters, holdings signs to show support for Black Lives Matter.
Before sunset, police and demonstrators were in a standoff near the Pike Outlets. Patrol cars were hit with eggs and water bottles as people began rushing police officers. Sirens screamed through the streets of Long Beach and the sound of helicopters disrupted quiet neighborhoods adjacent to downtown.
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By 8 p.m., officers had cleared the area along Pine Avenue and Broadway in the city’s downtown area. At least four businesses in the area, including a Wells Fargo bank, had been burglarized.
The unrest prompted Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia to institute a curfew in the city from 8 p.m. Sunday to 5 a.m. Monday.
“America with all of our diversity has a dark and long history with race and Long Beach has not been exempt from this,” he wrote in a statement on Twitter. “Over the last several days and after nearly three months of battling COVID-19 as a nation, we are seeing civil unrest and protests. We hear you and are listening.”
Mark Lira, co-owner of L’Opera, was home when his wife noticed looters had broken into the Italian restaurant. Lira said he had spent most of the day boarding up the business.
He rushed over to the downtown eatery on the corner of Pine and 1st Street and ran inside, cursing at looters who had stolen liquor and broken glass and plates. He said he got help from his brother and other demonstrators who stood outside to prevent others from getting in while he ran through the downstairs and upstairs sections of the restaurant, surveying the damage.
Inside, planters were on the floor and glasses in the kitchen were smashed.
“They destroyed the bar,” he said.
Lira was preparing to reopen the restaurant on Monday after being closed because of the pandemic, but now he said that opening has been delayed at least by another month. He said he was supportive of the demonstration but was not in favor of people breaking into businesses.
“I’m not the problem,” he said. “I’m just trying to make a living.”
Earlier in the day, other business owners across Long Beach also rushed to board up restaurants, clothing stores and galleries.
Among them was Thomas Liu, owner of Loose Leaf Boba. He said he spent a few hundred dollars to buy materials to board up his businesses. Liu said he had friends who own sushi, boba and ice cream stores that had been vandalized and broken into. Liu was taking no chances.
“I support the protests,” he said. But Liu said he wasn’t in favor of vandalism.
He said many businesses are losing money just boarding up their businesses. Pointing across the street at Portuguese Bend, a distillery and restaurant that opened its doors last year, he said boarding it up cost anywhere from $3,000 to $4,000 and an additional $8,000 for labor.
Nearby, contractors were working to shore up other restaurants and a Ross store.
Around the corner, Monica Fleming, co-owner of Loiter Galleries, watched as co-owner Vinny Picardí and Alan Parks, 62, boarded up the gallery. Inside, friends were moving artwork to the back or out of the space.
“I’m a little stressed,” she said, wearing a mask. “It’s unfortunate we have to do this.”
She said she called on friends to help move artwork out of the gallery. Most of the artwork — sculpture, photos and paintings — is by local artists.
Fleming said she was in favor of peaceful protests but doesn’t believe in the violence and vandalism that has broken out in recent days.
The gallery, which has been in Long Beach for three years but just a year at the current location, had only a few pieces of sculpture that Fleming and others were still moving around.
Picardi grew frustrated that police weren’t doing enough to protect businesses, forcing business owners to do it themselves. He said he didn’t understand why demonstrators were damaging and looting businesses owned by people of color.


latimes--2020-05-31--National Guard protecting L.A. City Hall as downtown shops clean up

In a stark symbol of tensions rippling through parts of Los Angeles , National Guard troops stood with Los Angeles Police Department officers on the steps of City Hall on Sunday to protect the landmark .
About 100 demonstrators had gathered in Grand Park , after a demonstration earlier in the day at Pershing Square .
Downtown was hit by protests and looting Friday night and Saturday morning .
On Saturday night , some businesses saw more looting .
On Sunday , many merchants were still cleaning up .
When Maria Alvarado , 38 , store manager of Fallas along @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this morning , she knew she had her work cut out for her .
Merchandise racks and clothing lined the floor , cash registers were toppled over and broken , and windows were shattered .
Alvarado said rioters also attempted to start a fire in the store , as evidenced by the aftermath .
“ The riots are concerning because they ’ re hurting us too , ” Alvarado said .
“ Our workers are having their hours cut , and the stolen merchandise is costly .
After reopening the store we had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then this happened.
” With escalating concerns of riots and COVID-19 , Alvarado said she was concerned for the financial stability of her business .
Along West 4th Street nearby , Chris Andino of North Hollywood had been boarding up businesses since 3 a.m. as rioters began to clear out of the area .
Andino maneuvered around broken window and mirrors to the building ’ s gym .
In every corridor by Pershing Square , pedestrians walked around , but businesses were all boarded up .
Neighborhood resident Kelzy David , a 25-year-old @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time sleeping as helicopters and rioters filled Pershing Garden .
“ It ’ s hard seeing our neighborhood like this , ” David said .
“ But the graffiti and broken windows , they ’ re all part of the cause , and I support it .
”

Members of the National Guard and LAPD officers patrol City Hall on Sunday.
In a stark symbol of tensions rippling through parts of Los Angeles, National Guard troops stood with Los Angeles Police Department officers on the steps of City Hall on Sunday to protect the landmark.
About 100 demonstrators had gathered in Grand Park, after a demonstration earlier in the day at Pershing Square.
Downtown was hit by protests and looting Friday night and Saturday morning. On Saturday night, some businesses saw more looting.
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)
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On Sunday, many merchants were still cleaning up.
When Maria Alvarado, 38, store manager of Fallas along West 5th Street, came into work this morning, she knew she had her work cut out for her.
Merchandise racks and clothing lined the floor, cash registers were toppled over and broken, and windows were shattered. Alvarado said rioters also attempted to start a fire in the store, as evidenced by the aftermath.
“The riots are concerning because they’re hurting us too,” Alvarado said. “Our workers are having their hours cut, and the stolen merchandise is costly. After reopening the store we had three good days of business, but then this happened.”
With escalating concerns of riots and COVID-19, Alvarado said she was concerned for the financial stability of her business.
Along West 4th Street nearby, Chris Andino of North Hollywood had been boarding up businesses since 3 a.m. as rioters began to clear out of the area. Andino maneuvered around broken window and mirrors to the building’s gym.
In every corridor by Pershing Square, pedestrians walked around, but businesses were all boarded up. Neighborhood resident Kelzy David, a 25-year-old physical therapy assistant, had a hard time sleeping as helicopters and rioters filled Pershing Garden.
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“It’s hard seeing our neighborhood like this,” David said. “But the graffiti and broken windows, they’re all part of the cause, and I support it.”


latimes--2020-05-31--Hundreds arrested in Santa Monica amid widespread looting

The tension was palpable Sunday in Santa Monica .
What started as a peaceful protest along Ocean Avenue devolved into chaos around 1 p.m. , as looters smashed storefronts in the Santa Monica Place mall and other downtown businesses .
Police said they made hundreds of arrests and that the National Guard had arrived to help .
Couples sitting and enjoying meals at recently opened restaurants looked stunned as cars dropped off people , many of them wearing masks and hoodies , who then shattered a pharmacy on 7th and Broadway .
Several looters stormed inside and took handfuls of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the demonstrators walked from the Santa Monica Pier north along Ocean Avenue , carrying signs and chanting .
“ A peaceful protest is underway along Ocean Avenue between Montana and Colorado , ” the city said in a statement issued at 1:15 p.m. “ The Santa Monica Police Department is on site and has a presence throughout the community.
” The demonstration was meant to decry the death of George Floyd on Monday in Minneapolis .
The unarmed black man died in custody after a white police officer kneeled on his neck for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pleas that he couldn ’ t breathe .
But as the protest got underway , looters swarmed the downtown area in what appeared to be an organized attack .
Cars dropped them off in front of businesses , they smashed windows and grabbed what they could , and when police approached , they jumped back into the waiting cars .
Dozens stormed the Santa Monica Place mall , smashing the windows of a Louis Vuitton store and several other shops .
The mall entrance was blocked by a gated barrier , but the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of clothing and other goods before police arrived .
A few blocks away , on 4th and Broadway , a Vans store was breached .
Scores ran inside , stealing shoes and skateboards from the showroom and a storage area .
Some loaded merchandise into plastic crates .
As looters stormed the store , a white woman pleaded with a black woman to stop .
“ I was here during Rodney King .
Please stop , ” she said .
“ I get it.
” The other woman , gripping the arms of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , responded , “ We are dying .
No justice , no peace.
” Santa Monica police officers rolled up on motorcycles shortly before 3 p.m. and entered the shoe store with guns drawn .
Amid the chaos , Santa Monica pushed up its Sunday curfew to 4 p.m. from 8 p.m. and extended the hours to 5:30 a.m. Monday .
The California Highway Patrol closed the freeway ramps into the city .
Cars stuck at the Cloverfield exit were being directed to continue forward on the 10 Freeway , but a full @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the vehicles .
By 2:30 , more than 50 law enforcement officers had stormed the Santa Monica Place mall , where the storefronts for 7 for All Mankind and Hugo Boss were smashed .
Overhead , a police helicopter circled .
Alarms could be heard as people ran out with arms full of clothes and sirens blared in the background .
A white man walking through the mall area with his bike laughed at the pillaging and said , “ This is great.
” But as police combed the plaza , more looters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on 4th and Broadway , as reports came in that looters were being shot at at another jewelry store .
Amid the sirens , scores of people ran to a nearby alley and began rummaging through what they had taken .
They found what looked like the back entrance to another store and swarmed in but were interrupted by shouts of “ Police !
” that sent the group scrambling again .
More than 50 looters ran from the alley with armloads of shoe boxes and other items while a black car drove @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it in there .
I ’ m trying to help you , ” the driver yelled to the crowds of looters .
One woman began throwing clothes and shoes inside the car as sirens blared in the background .
A few minutes later , police and firefighters showed up after a fire was started at a nearby store .
By then , the protesters had scattered .
All the while , peaceful protesters continued to march , making their way to 5th Street and circling the chaos between looters and police .
Around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were still blaring as police began to take control of the area , clearing the streets block by block .
Business owners were arriving at their stores to assess the damage and protect what was left .
The owner of Cisco Home on Lincoln , a designer furniture store , said he rushed to his store after his neighbor texted him that “ people were doing crazy things.
” Inside , a couch was flipped over and water from the sprinklers had damaged some of the furniture .
“ We lost everything in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Roman , who declined to give his last name .
He estimated that the damage would cost up to $ 6 million .
The owner of a nail salon near Lincoln and Broadway stood outside his business at 8 p.m. , giving instructions to workers unloading a truck full of wooden boards .
The owner , who didn ’ t want to share his name , said he arrived to his business at about 4 p.m. to find it destroyed .
He shook his head .
Rafael Resendez , the owner of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also speaking with workers , helping them board up his business .
Looters had taken up to $ 12,000 worth of equipment , including hair cutting tools and cash registers .
Resendez said Sunday was his first day his shop , Lincoln Barbers , had been open in two months because of the pandemic .
He closed at 2 p.m. , telling his employees he didn ’ t think the looters would hit them .
He had posted posted a sign that read “ Mexican owned ” and messages in support of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ business .
“ I feel guilty ” for not doing more , he said .
“ Those people are looking for excuses to commit crimes .
They don ’ t care about ( George Floyd ) .
I do care about him .
This is not the way to do it.
” Dozens of protesters were arrested Sunday evening after hours of demonstrating across downtown .
The group was pushed by law enforcement to the entrance to the Big Blue Bus station on Colorado Avenue , where they were encircled and arrested .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ when many tried , other officers did not let them pass .
“ When they said we could leave they blocked us off and then they arrested us , ” said Stevie Doaty , 22 , who moved to Los Angeles a month ago from Cleveland .
Elsewhere in the city , a Los Angeles Police Department officer watched as firefighters put out flames on top of Sake House , a restaurant on Santa Monica Blvd .
“ This is upsetting , ” he said .
“ Most these people aren ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ here just causing havoc and chaos.
” The police officer said 99 % of police are in support of the protesters ’ message , and that he was protecting them , not looters .
“ They ’ re throwing Molotov cocktails and looting and looting and looting .
It ’ s difficult to deal with that , ” he said .
“ I ’ m hoping I get more than 3 hours of sleep tonight.
” Times staff writers Kim Christensen and Joseph Serna contributed to this report .

A looter rushes out of the Patagonia Store on 4th Street in Santa Monica on Sunday.
The tension was palpable Sunday in Santa Monica.
What started as a peaceful protest along Ocean Avenue devolved into chaos around 1 p.m., as looters smashed storefronts in the Santa Monica Place mall and other downtown businesses. Police said they made hundreds of arrests and that the National Guard had arrived to help.
Couples sitting and enjoying meals at recently opened restaurants looked stunned as cars dropped off people, many of them wearing masks and hoodies, who then broke into a pharmacy on 7th and Broadway. Several looters stormed inside and took handfuls of items.
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)
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At the same time, demonstrators walked from the Santa Monica Pier north along Ocean Avenue, carrying signs and chanting.
“A peaceful protest is underway along Ocean Avenue between Montana and Colorado,” the city said in a statement issued at 1:15 p.m. “The Santa Monica Police Department is on site and has a presence throughout the community.”
The demonstration was meant to decry the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis last week. The unarmed black man died in custody after a white police officer kneeled on his neck for several minutes, despite Floyd’s pleas that he couldn’t breathe.
But as the protest got underway, looters swarmed the downtown area in what appeared to be an organized attack. Cars dropped them off in front of businesses, they smashed windows and grabbed what they could, and when police approached, they jumped back into the waiting cars.
Dozens stormed the Santa Monica Place mall, smashing the windows of a Louis Vuitton store and several other shops. The mall entrance was blocked by a gated barrier, but the crowd got through, leaving with armloads of clothing and other goods before police arrived.
A few blocks away, on 4th Street and Broadway, a Vans store was breached. Scores ran inside, stealing shoes and skateboards from the showroom and a storage area. Some loaded merchandise into plastic crates.
As looters stormed the store, a white woman pleaded with a black woman to stop.
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“I was here during Rodney King. Please stop,” she said. “I get it.”
The other woman, gripping the arms of a black man standing at her side, responded, “We are dying. No justice, no peace.”
Santa Monica police officers rolled up on motorcycles shortly before 3 p.m. and entered the shoe store with guns drawn.
Amid the chaos, Santa Monica pushed up its Sunday curfew to 4 p.m. from 8 p.m. and extended the hours to 5:30 a.m. Monday.
UPDATE: As of 2:25pm, tonight's curfew has been updated to 4pm, 5/31. All I-10 and PCH ramps into Santa Monica now closed by CHP. Stay out of downtown. — City of Santa Monica (@santamonicacity) May 31, 2020
The California Highway Patrol closed the freeway ramps into the city. Cars stuck at the Cloverfield exit were being directed to continue forward on the 10 Freeway, but a full closure of all lanes was implemented behind the vehicles.
By 2:30 p.m., more than 50 law enforcement officers had stormed the Santa Monica Place mall, where the storefronts for 7 for All Mankind and Hugo Boss were smashed. Overhead, a police helicopter circled.
Alarms could be heard as people ran out with arms full of clothes and sirens blared in the background.
A white man walking through the mall area with his bike laughed at the pillaging and said, “This is great.”
But as police combed the plaza, more looters gathered outside Bubar’s Jewelers, on 4th and Broadway, as reports came in that looters were being shot at in another jewelry store.
Amid the sirens, scores of people ran to a nearby alley and began rummaging through what they had taken.
They found what looked like the back entrance to another store and swarmed in but were interrupted by shouts of “Police!” that sent the group scrambling again.
More than 50 looters ran from the alley with armloads of shoe boxes and other items while a black car drove up.
“Get in. Put it in there. I’m trying to help you,” the driver yelled to the crowds of looters.
One woman began throwing clothes and shoes inside the car as sirens blared in the background. A few minutes later, police and firefighters showed up after a fire was started at a nearby store.
All the while, peaceful protesters continued to march, making their way to 5th Street and circling the chaos between looters and police.
Around 8 p.m., sirens and store alarms were still blaring as police began to take control of the area, clearing the streets block by block. Business owners were arriving at their stores to assess the damage and protect what was left.
A fire burns in a building on 4th Street in Santa Monica on Sunday night. (Melissa Etehad/Los Angeles Times)
The owner of Cisco Home on Lincoln Boulevard, a designer furniture store, said he rushed to his store after his neighbor texted him that “people were doing crazy things.” Inside, a couch was flipped over and water from the sprinklers had damaged some of the furniture.
“We lost everything in 10 minutes,” said the owner, Roman, who declined to give his last name. He estimated that the damage would cost up to $6 million.
The owner of a nail salon near Lincoln and Broadway stood outside his business at 8 p.m., giving instructions to workers unloading a truck full of wooden boards.
The owner, who didn’t want to share his name, said he arrived at his business at about 4 p.m. to find it destroyed. He shook his head.
Rafael Resendez, the owner of the barber shop next door, was also speaking with workers, helping them board up his business. Looters had taken up to $12,000 worth of equipment, including hair cutting tools and cash registers.
Resendez said Sunday was the first day his shop, Lincoln Barbers, had been open in two months because of the coronavirus outbreak. He closed at 2 p.m., telling his employees he didn’t think the looters would hit them. He had posted posted a sign that read “Mexican owned” and messages in support of the protesters in hopes they would avoid his business.
It didn’t work.
“I feel guilty” for not doing more, he said. “Those people are looking for excuses to commit crimes. They don’t care about [George Floyd]. I do care about him. This is not the way to do it.”
People are arrested in Santa Monica. (Melissa Etehad/Los Angeles Times)
Dozens of protesters were arrested Sunday evening after hours of demonstrating across downtown. The group was pushed by law enforcement to the entrance to the Big Blue Bus station on Colorado Avenue, where they were encircled and arrested. Police offered to let them leave but when many tried, other officers did not let them pass.
“When they said we could leave they blocked us off and then they arrested us,” said Stevie Doaty, 22, who moved to Los Angeles a month ago from Cleveland.
Elsewhere in the city, a Los Angeles Police Department officer watched as firefighters put out flames on top of Sake House, a restaurant on Santa Monica Boulevard.
“This is upsetting,” he said. “Most of these people aren’t from L.A. They’re just out here just causing havoc and chaos.”
The police officer said 99% of police are in support of the protesters’ message, and that he was protecting them, not looters.
“They’re throwing Molotov cocktails and looting and looting and looting. It’s difficult to deal with that,” he said. “I’m hoping I get more than three hours of sleep tonight.”
Times staff writers Kim Christensen and Joseph Serna contributed to this report.