latimes--2020-06-03--Inland Empire protests fueled by cases of past police violence

When Mark Ocegueda joined a downtown San Bernardino protest Sunday night , he was compelled by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis , his neck pinned under the knee of a police officer .
But he was also thinking of 38-year-old Cal State San Bernardino graduate student Bartholomew Williams , a black man who suffered from bipolar disorder and was shot and killed by campus police in 2012 .
And about Diante Yarber , a 26-year-old black man shot and killed in a fusillade of police bullets in the parking lot of a Barstow Walmart in 2018 .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ woman killed by police as she sat in her car at a local gas station 22 years ago .
Across the nation , protesters have gathered in an outpouring of anger and demands for justice in the death of George Floyd .
Major rallies are unfolding in the nation ’ s largest cities — such as Los Angeles , where five days of civil unrest in 1992 ravaged the city following the acquittal of police officers in the beating of Rodney King .
But protests are also taking place in smaller suburbs and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and police violence that have led to calls for change and accountability .
The memory of those cases continues to motivate many who are taking to the streets and calling for local changes .
“ I could have gone to Los Angeles or Long Beach to protest , but I wanted to participate in my local community and what they had to say about what ’ s going on , ” said Ocegueda , who is a historian at Brown University and has been staying with family in San Bernardino , where he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also a notorious record of police violence toward black people and people of color here.
” In the Inland Empire , protesters have gathered in San Bernardino , Moreno Valley , Corona , Temecula , Rancho Cucamonga , Fontana and other communities saying they feel moved — even as they wear masks to protect against the coronavirus — to speak out in the wake of the Floyd case .
The protests have been mostly peaceful , though in some cases there has been looting , vandalism and damage to businesses and a number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Riverside on Monday , about 5,000 protesters gathered downtown , many of them young people who said they were tired of constant stories about black people killed by police , locally and nationally .
“ I don ’ t want to see another black face on the news .
I don ’ t know if I ’ m next , ” said Christiana Ellis , 15 , who attended the protest with her mother , Sherry Morton , 51 .
“ I wonder , what if my dad is out driving to get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a speeding ticket and ends up in a casket ?
” Ellis , who attends Martin Luther King High in Riverside , said she was also thinking about recent incidents close to home — like the students at her school who posed with a swastika and a Confederate flag in a photo that circulated on social media in February , sparking fear and anger on campus .
“ My brother went to King 20 years ago and someone drew a swastika on his jacket , ” she said .
“ That just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much change.
” Rep. Mark Takano ( D-Riverside ) said his own memories of the 1998 Miller case were part of what pushed him to go to Monday ’ s protest in Riverside and speak to protesters .
“ I remember the outrage , ” Takano said .
“ How was it that a black woman alone in her car at a gas station was shot multiple times and killed ?
” Miller was killed by white police officers a few days after Christmas .
She had passed out in her disabled car @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Responding officers said she appeared to grab the gun when they tried to wake her .
The officers fired nearly two dozen shots , hitting her 12 times .
Deborah Wong , a professor of music at UC Riverside , vividly recalls the tumultuous year that followed Miller ’ s death .
“ There was one public protest after another , ” Wong said .
The officers were eventually fired but prosecutors declined to file criminal charges .
And in the aftermath , the state attorney general ordered Riverside ’ s police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city created the Community Police Review Commission , an independent review board .
That board still exists .
But in Wong ’ s opinion it has been “ very nearly completely defanged.
” A representative of the board could not be reached for comment .
In the Williams case , the Cal State San Bernardino grad student who was working on his second master ’ s degree was reportedly acting confused and distressed when officers went to his off-campus dorm room in response to a call .
An altercation ensued when officers tried @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the officers said Williams exhibited “ super-human-type strength.
” Williams ’ death also sparked protests and in 2014 , the California State University Board of Trustees agreed to pay $ 2.5 million to Williams ’ family , revise the school ’ s crisis intervention policies and require police officers to undergo crisis intervention training .
But prosecutors declined to charge the officers .
Ocegueda , who is a graduate of Cal State San Bernardino , says the case might have gotten more attention had it not happened in the Inland Empire .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was such an outrageous use of excessive force that I was very upset to see that it was kind of brushed under the rug , ” he said .
“ I think part of that is because the media has so long ignored these places outside of Los Angeles and Orange County .
But the residents of the city , they definitely remember that incident.
” In the Yarber case , the 26-year-old was driving in a Walmart parking lot when officers fired 30 rounds into his car .
The shooting , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , received national attention and again sparked local protests .
Prosecutors declined to file charges against the officers , saying they “ each had an honest and objectively reasonable belief that Yarber posed a threat of serious bodily injury or death to themselves.
” Ben Reynoso , 28 , an organizer with Inland Congregations United for Change and a candidate for city council in San Bernardino , said people in the community want justice for Floyd and are also hoping that the case can be a catalyst for local change .
On Tuesday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Inland Empire went to the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors for a rally to demand that the county declare racism a public health crisis , saying it ’ s long past time for the community to start looking seriously at issues of police violence and environmental , health and educational disparities that are affecting communities of color throughout the Inland Empire .
“ I along with a lot of other black people are just tired .
We ’ re out there in the streets , but a lot of us can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re tired , ” Reynoso said .
“ It ’ s like you ’ ve been shaking a Coke can for such a long time what do you expect to happen ?
It ’ s going to blow up.
” Following the rally , the supervisors agreed to consider a resolution declaring racism a public health crisis next week .

When Mark Ocegueda joined a downtown San Bernardino protest Sunday night, he was compelled by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, his neck pinned under the knee of a police officer.
But he was also thinking of 38-year-old Cal State San Bernardino graduate student Bartholomew Williams, a black man who suffered from bipolar disorder and was shot and killed by campus police in 2012. And about Diante Yarber, a 26-year-old black man shot and killed in a fusillade of police bullets in the parking lot of a Barstow Walmart in 2018. And about Tyisha Miller, a 19-year-old black woman killed by police as she sat in her car at a local gas station 22 years ago.
Across the nation, protesters have gathered in an outpouring of anger and demands for justice in the death of George Floyd. Major rallies are unfolding in the nation’s largest cities — such as Los Angeles, where five days of civil unrest in 1992 ravaged the city following the acquittal of police officers in the beating of Rodney King.
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But protests are also taking place in smaller suburbs and communities with their own histories of racism and police violence that have led to calls for change and accountability. The memory of those cases continues to motivate many who are taking to the streets and calling for local changes.
“I could have gone to Los Angeles or Long Beach to protest, but I wanted to participate in my local community and what they had to say about what’s going on,” said Ocegueda, who is a historian at Brown University and has been staying with family in San Bernardino, where he was raised. “There’s also a notorious record of police violence toward black people and people of color here.”
In the Inland Empire, protesters have gathered in San Bernardino, Moreno Valley, Corona, Temecula, Rancho Cucamonga, Fontana and other communities saying they feel moved — even as they wear masks to protect against the coronavirus — to speak out in the wake of the Floyd case.
The protests have been mostly peaceful, though in some cases there has been looting, vandalism and damage to businesses and a number of arrests for violating curfew. In Riverside on Monday, about 5,000 protesters gathered downtown, many of them young people who said they were tired of constant stories about black people killed by police, locally and nationally.
“I don’t want to see another black face on the news. I don’t know if I’m next,” said Christiana Ellis, 15, who attended the protest with her mother, Sherry Morton, 51. “I wonder, what if my dad is out driving to get groceries, and he gets pulled over for a speeding ticket and ends up in a casket?”
Ellis, who attends Martin Luther King High in Riverside, said she was also thinking about recent incidents close to home — like the students at her school who posed with a swastika and a Confederate flag in a photo that circulated on social media in February, sparking fear and anger on campus.
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“My brother went to King 20 years ago and someone drew a swastika on his jacket,” she said. “That just tells me there hasn’t been much change.”
Rep. Mark Takano (D-Riverside) said his own memories of the 1998 Miller case were part of what pushed him to go to Monday’s protest in Riverside and speak to protesters.
“I remember the outrage,” Takano said. “How was it that a black woman alone in her car at a gas station was shot multiple times and killed?”
Miller was killed by white police officers a few days after Christmas. She had passed out in her disabled car and had a gun on her lap. Responding officers said she appeared to grab the gun when they tried to wake her.
The officers fired nearly two dozen shots, hitting her 12 times.
Deborah Wong, a professor of music at UC Riverside, vividly recalls the tumultuous year that followed Miller’s death.
“There was one public protest after another,” Wong said.
The officers were eventually fired but prosecutors declined to file criminal charges. And in the aftermath, the state attorney general ordered Riverside’s police department to undergo sweeping reforms and the city created the Community Police Review Commission, an independent review board.
That board still exists. But in Wong’s opinion it has been “very nearly completely defanged.”
A representative of the board could not be reached for comment.
In the Williams case, the Cal State San Bernardino grad student who was working on his second master’s degree was reportedly acting confused and distressed when officers went to his off-campus dorm room in response to a call. An altercation ensued when officers tried to take him to a hospital and the officers said Williams exhibited “super-human-type strength.”
Williams’ death also sparked protests and in 2014, the California State University Board of Trustees agreed to pay $2.5 million to Williams’ family, revise the school’s crisis intervention policies and require police officers to undergo crisis intervention training. But prosecutors declined to charge the officers.
Ocegueda, who is a graduate of Cal State San Bernardino, says the case might have gotten more attention had it not happened in the Inland Empire.
“To me the killing of Bartholomew Williams was such an outrageous use of excessive force that I was very upset to see that it was kind of brushed under the rug,” he said. “I think part of that is because the media has so long ignored these places outside of Los Angeles and Orange County. But the residents of the city, they definitely remember that incident.”
In the Yarber case, the 26-year-old was driving in a Walmart parking lot when officers fired 30 rounds into his car. The shooting, which was captured on a grainy cellphone video, received national attention and again sparked local protests. Prosecutors declined to file charges against the officers, saying they “each had an honest and objectively reasonable belief that Yarber posed a threat of serious bodily injury or death to themselves.”
Ben Reynoso, 28, an organizer with Inland Congregations United for Change and a candidate for city council in San Bernardino, said people in the community want justice for Floyd and are also hoping that the case can be a catalyst for local change.
On Tuesday morning, he and others from around the Inland Empire went to the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors for a rally to demand that the county declare racism a public health crisis, saying it’s long past time for the community to start looking seriously at issues of police violence and environmental, health and educational disparities that are affecting communities of color throughout the Inland Empire.
“I along with a lot of other black people are just tired. We’re out there in the streets, but a lot of us can’t even chant because we’re tired,” Reynoso said. “It’s like you’ve been shaking a Coke can for such a long time what do you expect to happen? It’s going to blow up.”
Following the rally, the supervisors agreed to consider a resolution declaring racism a public health crisis next week.
Times staff writer Stephanie Lai contributed to this story.


latimes--2020-06-03--California braces for second wave of coronavirus even as first wave is far from over

Health experts have long warned of a potential second wave of the coronavirus as the economy reopens .
But while other states have seen the first wave fade , the Golden State continues to see cases rise at a rapid clip .
California is one of about 20 states where new cases are increasing over the past five days , according to Johns Hopkins University .
A Los Angeles Times analysis shows that the number of weekly cases in California continues to rise , exceeding 17,000 last week for the first time in the pandemic .
There were nearly 10,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week , according to the analysis .
L.A. County and the Southland remain the California epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic , but there have been some troubling increases in reported disease in some Bay Area counties .
Officials are not sure whether the new cases reflect a larger spike as the economy reopens or the result of increasing testing , or perhaps a combination of both .
L.A. County reported a notable spike in cases on Friday — 1,824 new cases — a one-day record .
But it included a backlog of 500 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ If we do see an uptick in cases in a couple of weeks from now , it will likely mean that there has already been two to four weeks of increasing transmission by that time , ” said Dr. Christina Ghaly , director of health services of L.A. County .
“ So at this point , we could be in the midst of a new upward curve , or transmission may not have increased at all .
We just don ’ t know yet.
” Experts are already worried about the potential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reopens .
Not only have churches and restaurant dining rooms been allowed to reopen in many parts of the state , political demonstrations in recent days have raised new concerns about rapid spread of disease .
“ I ’ m always worried about a surge , ” Barbara Ferrer , the director of public health in Los Angeles County , said Monday .
“ We ’ ve always known that as more and more people are going to be out and about , we run this risk of there being a surge.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Prevention estimates that 20 % to 50 % of people infected with the coronavirus do not show symptoms of illness .
But asymptomatic carriers , or “ silent spreaders , ” are believed to transmit disease just as easily as those with visible symptoms , according to the CDC ’ s best estimate .
It can take three to four weeks after exposure to the virus for infected people to be hospitalized , and four to five weeks after exposure for patients to die from the disease .
The rise in cases comes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statewide .
There has been a 10 % drop in the average number of people hospitalized daily with confirmed or suspected coronavirus infection last week compared to a month ago , from 4,859 on the week of April 27 to 4,392 last week .
And the number of weekly deaths statewide last week fell 19 % to 418 ; the week before , it was 515 .
But state officials have voiced concerns about an uptick in disease in certain pockets across the state , from the Mexican border , to parts of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a rural county close to the Oregon border .
Weekly hospitalizations for the coronavirus are up more than 30 % over the past month in Orange County , California ’ s third most populous county .
‘ We are still in the first wave ’ For all the concern about a second wave that could come in the fall , where virus transmission could be aided by students returning to schools and universities , some experts point out we should be worried about the summer , too .
“ We are still in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Robert Kim-Farley , medical epidemiologist and infectious disease expert at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health .
“ We ’ ve flattened the curve .
However , flattening the curve is a two-edged sword : You have avoided overloading one ’ s healthcare system , which is really the primary public health goal .
But at the same time , it means that you now have lengthened the curve out for a longer period of time.
” Experts around the world have warned that the coronavirus need not follow the pattern of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brief first wave in the spring in the U.S. was followed by a calm summer .
It was only in the fall that a second , much larger and far deadlier wave hit .
“ We shouldn ’ t just look to the fall , but we should be thinking about what ’ s going to be happening in … June , July , August , ” Dr. Thomas Inglesby , director of the Center for Health Security at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health , said at a recent panel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Silicon Valley found 73 % of residents worried about a second wave of coronavirus outbreaks later this year , according to a poll conducted on behalf of Northern California ’ s most populous county , Santa Clara County , between May 14 to 18 .
Majorities said they were worried about themselves or those in their household being infected with the disease ( 54 % ) and not being able to see friends or family ( 55 % ) .
The poll found 41 % were concerned about losing a job or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 39 % worried about their mental health .
Officials pay close attention to a steep rise in cases in case it ’ s a portent of something worse to come .
In Sonoma County , officials have been concerned about a rise in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations , and have held off on allowing in-store retail , hair salons and places of worship to reopen .
In Alameda County , the San Francisco Bay Area ’ s second most populous county , new weekly cases rose by 19 % last week compared to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ particularly high in East Oakland .
Authorities are checking to see if hospital resources are available if they are suddenly needed in the county of 1.6 million people , Dr. Mark Ghaly , secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency , said .
Other counties are also keeping a close eye on troubling trends .
Marin County has seen an uptick in both cases and in the percentage of people testing positive for the highly infectious virus , rising from 4.4 % to 5.3 % in recent days .
“ This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ testing more people , a greater proportion of those tested are infected .
This suggests we ’ re likely seeing at least a slight rise in actual virus transmission , ” Dr. , the Marin County health officer , said .
Most people who are testing positive in Marin County must leave home to work , which includes employees of businesses like grocery stores , hospitals , long-term care facilities , construction and landscaping .
One of the nation ’ s most important agricultural areas , Imperial County , saw such a surge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it has transferred nearly 200 patients into neighboring counties , Ghaly said , like and .
There are only two hospitals in Imperial County , and hospitalizations for coronavirus cases doubled over the past five weeks .
“ The Imperial Valley has a horrendous outbreak going on right now , ” said Dr. George Rutherford , UC San Francisco epidemiologist and infectious diseases expert , at a campus forum Friday .
And even the introduction of five coronavirus cases in sparsely populated northern county of Lassen caused officials in the county of 31,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ services and in-store shopping again .
The health officer , Dr. Kenneth Korver , cited “ , ” such as a failure to practice social distancing or employ good personal sanitation practices , for the temporary rollback of stay-at-home relaxation orders .
Southern California has moved faster than the Bay Area in reopening .
L.A. County last week allowed the reopening of churches and hair salons and the resumption of indoor dining and indoor shopping at nonessential stores .
In an interview , Rutherford said Los Angeles County ’ s move to relax @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for caution .
“ Given that cases are going up in Los Angeles , I think it could potentially be a problem .
I think we have to wait and see what happens , ” Rutherford said .
L.A. County did meet the state ’ s criteria to move faster to reopen , which includes one standard that says the rate of tests that turn up positive for the coronavirus over the last week be no higher than 8 % .
But Rutherford said that isn ’ t a particularly difficult target to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ view that as that hard of a criterion to meet .
So I think you have to be a little bit cautious , still , ” Rutherford said .
Widespread rules on wearing masks in public will help , Rutherford said , which keep potentially infectious fluid in the mouth from spraying out while talking .
Los Angeles and Orange counties require mask-wearing in public ; Riverside and San Bernardino counties rescinded mandatory mask-wearing orders amid political pressure , and Ventura County never made it a requirement .
“ Masks provide a helluva @ @ @ @ @ @ @ m more comfortable relaxing things if everybody is wearing masks than if they weren ’ t , ” Rutherford said .
Ferrer , the L.A. County public health director , defended L.A. County ’ s reopening timeline Monday .
“ It is time for people to be able to get back to work in many of our sectors , ” she said .
“ That ’ s really the secret here .
... At some point , we have to reopen .
...
The name of the game is to make sure that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re taking every single precaution we can.
” Weekly hospitalizations have been declining every week in the past month in Los Angeles County .
Last week ’ s L.A. County death toll , 254 , was an 11 % decrease from the previous week ’ s death toll of 287 .
The numbers of daily deaths out of nursing homes has been declining , Ferrer said .
Lin reported from San Francisco , Lee and Shalby from Los Angeles .
Times staff writer Hannah Fry contributed to this report .

Rong-Gong Lin II, Iris Lee, Colleen Shalby

The Pledge of Allegiance at a City Council meeting in Atwater, Calif., on May 26.
Health experts have long warned of a potential second wave of the coronavirus as the economy reopens. But while other states have seen the first wave fade, the Golden State continues to see cases rise at a rapid clip.
California is one of about 20 states where new cases are increasing over the past five days, according to Johns Hopkins University.
A Los Angeles Times analysis shows that the number of weekly cases in California continues to rise, exceeding 17,000 last week for the first time in the pandemic. There were nearly 10,000 alone in Los Angeles County alone last week, according to the analysis. L.A. County and the Southland remain the California epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, but there have been some troubling increases in reported disease in some Bay Area counties.
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Officials are not sure whether the new cases reflect a larger spike as the economy reopens or the result of increasing testing, or perhaps a combination of both.
L.A. County reported a notable spike in cases on Friday — 1,824 new cases — a one-day record. But it included a backlog of 500 cases filed by a single lab.
“If we do see an uptick in cases in a couple of weeks from now, it will likely mean that there has already been two to four weeks of increasing transmission by that time,” said Dr. Christina Ghaly, director of health services of L.A. County. “So at this point, we could be in the midst of a new upward curve, or transmission may not have increased at all. We just don’t know yet.”
Worry about a second surge
Experts are already worried about the potential for new surges of disease as California reopens. Not only have churches and restaurant dining rooms been allowed to reopen in many parts of the state, political demonstrations in recent days have raised new concerns about rapid spread of disease.
“I’m always worried about a surge,” Barbara Ferrer, the director of public health in Los Angeles County, said Monday. “We’ve always known that as more and more people are going to be out and about, we run this risk of there being a surge.”
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 20% to 50% of people infected with the coronavirus do not show symptoms of illness. But asymptomatic carriers, or “silent spreaders,” are believed to transmit disease just as easily as those with visible symptoms, according to the CDC’s best estimate.
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It can take three to four weeks after exposure to the virus for infected people to be hospitalized, and four to five weeks after exposure for patients to die from the disease.
The rise in cases comes as weekly hospitalizations and deaths are down statewide. There has been a 10% drop in the average number of people hospitalized daily with confirmed or suspected coronavirus infection last week compared to a month ago, from 4,859 on the week of April 27 to 4,392 last week.
And the number of weekly deaths statewide last week fell 19% to 418; the week before, it was 515.
But state officials have voiced concerns about an uptick in disease in certain pockets across the state, from the Mexican border, to parts of the San Francisco Bay Area, and a rural county close to the Oregon border.
Weekly hospitalizations for the coronavirus are up more than 30% over the past month in Orange County, California’s third most populous county.
‘We are still in the first wave’
For all the concern about a second wave that could come in the fall, where virus transmission could be aided by students returning to schools and universities, some experts point out we should be worried about the summer, too.
“We are still in the first wave,” said Dr. Robert Kim-Farley, medical epidemiologist and infectious disease expert at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. “We’ve flattened the curve. However, flattening the curve is a two-edged sword: You have avoided overloading one’s healthcare system, which is really the primary public health goal. But at the same time, it means that you now have lengthened the curve out for a longer period of time.”
Experts around the world have warned that the coronavirus need not follow the pattern of the 1918 flu pandemic, where a brief first wave in the spring in the U.S. was followed by a calm summer. It was only in the fall that a second, much larger and far deadlier wave hit.
There were three deadly waves of the flu in 1918 and 1919 in the United States. (UC San Francisco epidemiologist George Rutherford)
“We shouldn’t just look to the fall, but we should be thinking about what’s going to be happening in … June, July, August,” Dr. Thomas Inglesby, director of the Center for Health Security at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said at a recent panel discussion.
Broad worry about a second wave
A survey of 1,000 residents of Silicon Valley found 73% of residents worried about a second wave of coronavirus outbreaks later this year, according to a poll conducted on behalf of Northern California’s most populous county, Santa Clara County, between May 14 to 18.
Majorities said they were worried about themselves or those in their household being infected with the disease (54%) and not being able to see friends or family (55%). The poll found 41% were concerned about losing a job or not being able to find work and 39% worried about their mental health.
Officials pay close attention to a steep rise in cases in case it’s a portent of something worse to come.
In Sonoma County, officials have been concerned about a rise in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations, and have held off on allowing in-store retail, hair salons and places of worship to reopen.
In Alameda County, the San Francisco Bay Area’s second most populous county, new weekly cases rose by 19% last week compared to the previous week. Case rates are particularly high in East Oakland.
Authorities are checking to see if hospital resources are available if they are suddenly needed in the county of 1.6 million people, Dr. Mark Ghaly, secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency, said.
Essential workers infected with coronavirus
Other counties are also keeping a close eye on troubling trends.
Marin County has seen an uptick in both cases and in the percentage of people testing positive for the highly infectious virus, rising from 4.4% to 5.3% in recent days.
“This means that even while we’re testing more people, a greater proportion of those tested are infected. This suggests we’re likely seeing at least a slight rise in actual virus transmission,” Dr. Matt Willis , the Marin County health officer, said. Most people who are testing positive in Marin County must leave home to work, which includes employees of businesses like grocery stores, hospitals, long-term care facilities, construction and landscaping.
One of the nation’s most important agricultural areas, Imperial County, saw such a surge in coronavirus patients needing hospital care that it has transferred nearly 200 patients into neighboring counties, Ghaly said, like San Diego and Riverside . There are only two hospitals in Imperial County, and hospitalizations for coronavirus cases doubled over the past five weeks.
‘Horrendous outbreak’ in Imperial County
“The Imperial Valley has a horrendous outbreak going on right now,” said Dr. George Rutherford, UC San Francisco epidemiologist and infectious diseases expert, at a campus forum Friday.
And even the introduction of five coronavirus cases in sparsely populated northern county of Lassen caused officials in the county of 31,000 people to briefly shut down dine-in restaurant services and in-store shopping again. The health officer, Dr. Kenneth Korver, cited “ alarming reports of irresponsible behavior ,” such as a failure to practice social distancing or employ good personal sanitation practices, for the temporary rollback of stay-at-home relaxation orders.
Southern California has moved faster than the Bay Area in reopening. L.A. County last week allowed the reopening of churches and hair salons and the resumption of indoor dining and indoor shopping at nonessential stores.
Reason for caution in L.A. County
In an interview, Rutherford said Los Angeles County’s move to relax stay-at-home orders while cases are rising calls for caution.
“Given that cases are going up in Los Angeles, I think it could potentially be a problem. I think we have to wait and see what happens,” Rutherford said.
L.A. County did meet the state’s criteria to move faster to reopen, which includes one standard that says the rate of tests that turn up positive for the coronavirus over the last week be no higher than 8%. But Rutherford said that isn’t a particularly difficult target to meet.
“I don’t view that as that hard of a criterion to meet. So I think you have to be a little bit cautious, still,” Rutherford said.
Mandatory masks may help
Widespread rules on wearing masks in public will help, Rutherford said, which keep potentially infectious fluid in the mouth from spraying out while talking. Los Angeles and Orange counties require mask-wearing in public; Riverside and San Bernardino counties rescinded mandatory mask-wearing orders amid political pressure, and Ventura County never made it a requirement.
“Masks provide a helluva lot of protection. And I’m more comfortable relaxing things if everybody is wearing masks than if they weren’t,” Rutherford said.
Ferrer, the L.A. County public health director, defended L.A. County’s reopening timeline Monday. “It is time for people to be able to get back to work in many of our sectors,” she said. “That’s really the secret here. ... At some point, we have to reopen. ... The name of the game is to make sure that when sectors are reopening, we’re taking every single precaution we can.”
Weekly hospitalizations have been declining every week in the past month in Los Angeles County.
Last week’s L.A. County death toll, 254, was an 11% decrease from the previous week’s death toll of 287. The numbers of daily deaths out of nursing homes has been declining, Ferrer said.
Lin reported from San Francisco, Lee and Shalby from Los Angeles. Times staff writer Hannah Fry contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-06-03--Column: Tolliver's barbershop in South Los Angeles is temporarily closed, but the conversation conti

Column: Tolliver's barbershop in South Los Angeles is temporarily closed, but the conversation continues

If these were ordinary times , I would have planted myself on a chair at Lawrence Tolliver ’ s barbershop in South Los Angeles , where everyone who walked in the door would have had something to say about the demonstrations in Los Angeles and across the nation .
But Tolliver was forced by the coronavirus to shutter his town hall clip shop , where his customers have been discussing every major event for decades , from the uprising following the Rodney King verdict of 1992 through to the lawless presidency of Donald Trump .
I ’ ve never walked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ understanding and appreciation of Los Angeles .
I thought the next best thing next to being in the shop would be to talk to Tolliver and some of the regulars by phone , and my first call was to the man I ’ ve known for 20 years .
“ I ’ m as conflicted as I could be , and I ’ m worried , ” said Tolliver , 75 .
He said he supports peaceful protest , but he decried the mayhem .
He said he is exhausted by racism and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but he loves and supports his son , a police officer .
“ I never thought we ’ d have another riot here because the LAPD has made positive changes , ” said Tolliver , who has photos of his favorite past LAPD chiefs on the walls of his shop , next to photos of President Barack Obama , Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela .
Tolliver took a measure of hope in the fact that local demonstrations look like “ a rainbow coalition of people , ” but he thinks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the depths of racial division have been exposed and racial bigotry has been validated and exploited by President Trump .
“ I just can ’ t relax , because I care so much , ” said Tolliver .
“ I care about this nation and I care about this city.
” “ To me , ” said his wife , Bernadette , “ the situation has gotten worse because of what ’ s projected out of Washington.
” She said she ’ s deeply troubled by the looting , burning and vandalism in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wondered if vandals feel “ emboldened and think they can get away with anything because with this president , look at his attitude ” of self-interest and provocation .
“ He ’ s confrontational with everybody , ” Dr. Sandra Cox , a psychologist and longtime customer at the barber shop , which serves both men and women , said of the president .
As I spoke to Cox , Trump was in the Rose Garden , telling the world he supported nonviolent protests even as police in riot gear tear-gassed and herded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump could hold up a Bible in front of a church and announce himself the president of law and order .
Cox recalls the uprising of 1965 in her neighborhood of South Los Angeles , where her family ran a business .
And she recalls the echo , 27 years later , with the violence that followed the acquittal of officers who beat Rodney King to a pulp .
In 1992 , Cox wanted to do something to heal the city and comfort those who were traumatized but didn ’ t have easy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ started a mental health agency she runs to this day .
“ The economic disparities and other issues are as bad now as they were then , if not worse , ” said Cox .
Former state Sen. Rod Wright , another of Tolliver ’ s customers , says he ’ s seen forward movement followed by slippage again and again .
After the Watts riots , he said , more people of color were elected and appointed to public office .
Various community improvement programs were begun , too , and progress @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But [ Ronald ] Reagan came in and put the kibosh on a lot of that , ” Wright said of the former California governor and president .
And there was another factor that halted and even reversed progress , Wright said .
The manufacturing and aerospace economy of Los Angeles collapsed .
“ We actually had a decent job base .
Firestone , GM , Goodyear , Northrop Grumman , Lockheed Martin —– once they started hiring people , you saw home ownership like we ’ d never seen before and Los @ @ @ @ @ @ @ African American places in the world .
But it all became unraveled.
” The reasons are many .
But in the intervening years , Wright said , public policy and economic strategy fell under the control of Wall Street , and even Obama failed to loosen that grip on Washington .
One big difference with the current unrest , Wright said , is that the flash points of violence have moved north and to the west , all the way to Santa Monica .
The majority of demonstrators may be protesting brutality and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ justice , jobs and pay , Wright said .
But “ a small group ” of well-organized opportunists is out to wreak havoc .
“ Racism is a disease and if you are not a person of color , you are not going to understand , ” said Albert Gomez , a 26-year-old Tolliver ’ s regular who is half black and half Latino .
“ People need to continue to protest peacefully and speak their minds , ” but violence “ is only going to make things worse and it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to recover.
” That sentiment was shared by Rev .
James K. McKnight , pastor of Tolliver ’ s church , the Congregational Church of Christian Fellowship .
“ What does that look like after three months ?
” McKnight asked , adding that he understands the rage but remains a disciple of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. ’ s model of nonviolent protest .
“ When businesses are torn up , what happens to the jobs and what happens when you have a police state ?
Do you think things are going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ After the fires go out and the officers go to prison , where are we ?
Are we ever going to sit down at the table of responsible compromise and mutual respect , or are we always going to bring up our armament and hurt one another ?
” McKnight said he saw a speech by an Atlanta rapper Killer Mike , who gave him hope .
The rapper invoked the long history of those who have fought for justice and implored Georgians to honor them by using their anger and energy not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mobilize , strategize and vote .
Carter Paysinger , who grew up in South Los Angeles and later served as principal of Beverly Hills High , said he watched televised news of demonstrations across the country with his 9-year-old son .
They also saw a news story about the long history of police not being prosecuted for brutality .
“ All these years later , I was having the same conversation with my son that my dad had with me after the Watts riots , ” said Paysinger .
“ I told him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the right , but if he ’ s stopped by a police officer … you have to be absolutely respectful to the officer , keep your hands in view at all times and cooperate with whatever they ’ re saying .
I told him the way you protest is to do it peacefully.
” And what did his son say ?
“ He said so if these cops killed those black people and didn ’ t have to go to jail , that ’ s not fair .
We would have to go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Drew Palmer , an engineer who has worked as a youth mentor for 25 years , lost his composure as he talked about watching the video of the Minnesota cop who dug his knee into George Floyd for nearly nine minutes .
The cop seemed nonchalant , Palmer said , noting that he had his hand in his pocket while Floyd was dying .
It was as if that cop was sending a message to black America , Palmer said .
“ I will keep kneeling on your neck and there ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about it .
The smugness , the smugness , the SMUGNESS of that officer .
That imagery will be emblazoned in my mind until I die , ” said Palmer .
I ’ ve known Lawrence Tolliver as a businessman , a community leader , a family man and a friend .
I watched him bury a son who died of cancer .
I walked with him to the polls the day he voted for Obama .
I watched him reel at the racially loaded language of division that carried Obama ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suppress turnout by attacking mail-in voting -- into the White House .
I have never seen him as distraught and discouraged as he is now .
“ I ’ m an optimist , ” Tolliver told me , as if trying to convince himself that he is .
As if trying once more to find his faith .
“ I hope the good forces stand up and the people who want to do the right thing will make a difference , and we will survive .
”

If these were ordinary times, I would have planted myself on a chair at Lawrence Tolliver’s barbershop in South Los Angeles, where everyone who walked in the door would have had something to say about the demonstrations in Los Angeles and across the nation.
But Tolliver was forced by the coronavirus to shutter his town hall clip shop, where his customers have been discussing every major event for decades, from the uprising following the Rodney King verdict of 1992 through to the lawless presidency of Donald Trump. I’ve never walked out of the shop without a deeper understanding and appreciation of Los Angeles.
I thought the next best thing next to being in the shop would be to talk to Tolliver and some of the regulars by phone, and my first call was to the man I’ve known for 20 years.
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“I’m as conflicted as I could be, and I’m worried,” said Tolliver, 75.
He said he supports peaceful protest, but he decried the mayhem. He said he is exhausted by racism and police violence against people of color, but he loves and supports his son, a police officer.
“I never thought we’d have another riot here because the LAPD has made positive changes,” said Tolliver, who has photos of his favorite past LAPD chiefs on the walls of his shop, next to photos of President Barack Obama, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela.
Tolliver took a measure of hope in the fact that local demonstrations look like “a rainbow coalition of people,” but he thinks that in the last few years, the depths of racial division have been exposed and racial bigotry has been validated and exploited by President Trump.
“I just can’t relax, because I care so much,” said Tolliver. “I care about this nation and I care about this city.”
“To me,” said his wife, Bernadette, “the situation has gotten worse because of what’s projected out of Washington.” She said she’s deeply troubled by the looting, burning and vandalism in California and elsewhere, but she said wondered if vandals feel “emboldened and think they can get away with anything because with this president, look at his attitude” of self-interest and provocation.
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“He’s confrontational with everybody,” Dr. Sandra Cox, a psychologist and longtime customer at the barber shop, which serves both men and women, said of the president.
As I spoke to Cox, Trump was in the Rose Garden, telling the world he supported nonviolent protests even as police in riot gear tear-gassed and herded peaceful protesters out of the way so Trump could hold up a Bible in front of a church and announce himself the president of law and order.
Cox recalls the uprising of 1965 in her neighborhood of South Los Angeles, where her family ran a business. And she recalls the echo, 27 years later, with the violence that followed the acquittal of officers who beat Rodney King to a pulp. In 1992, Cox wanted to do something to heal the city and comfort those who were traumatized but didn’t have easy access to professional care, so she started a mental health agency she runs to this day.
“The economic disparities and other issues are as bad now as they were then, if not worse,” said Cox.
Former state Sen. Rod Wright, another of Tolliver’s customers, says he’s seen forward movement followed by slippage again and again. After the Watts riots, he said, more people of color were elected and appointed to public office. Various community improvement programs were begun, too, and progress was made, said Wright.
“But [Ronald] Reagan came in and put the kibosh on a lot of that,” Wright said of the former California governor and president. And there was another factor that halted and even reversed progress, Wright said. The manufacturing and aerospace economy of Los Angeles collapsed.
“We actually had a decent job base. Firestone, GM, Goodyear, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin —– once they started hiring people, you saw home ownership like we’d never seen before and Los Angeles was one of the more affluent African American places in the world. But it all became unraveled.”
The reasons are many. But in the intervening years, Wright said, public policy and economic strategy fell under the control of Wall Street, and even Obama failed to loosen that grip on Washington.
One big difference with the current unrest, Wright said, is that the flash points of violence have moved north and to the west, all the way to Santa Monica. The majority of demonstrators may be protesting brutality and disparities in education, healthcare, criminal justice, jobs and pay, Wright said. But “a small group” of well-organized opportunists is out to wreak havoc.
“Racism is a disease and if you are not a person of color, you are not going to understand,” said Albert Gomez, a 26-year-old Tolliver’s regular who is half black and half Latino. “People need to continue to protest peacefully and speak their minds,” but violence “is only going to make things worse and it’s going to take longer for the economy to recover.”
That sentiment was shared by Rev. James K. McKnight, pastor of Tolliver’s church, the Congregational Church of Christian Fellowship.
“What does that look like after three months?” McKnight asked, adding that he understands the rage but remains a disciple of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s model of nonviolent protest.
“When businesses are torn up, what happens to the jobs and what happens when you have a police state? Do you think things are going to get better for poor folks? After the fires go out and the officers go to prison, where are we? Are we ever going to sit down at the table of responsible compromise and mutual respect, or are we always going to bring up our armament and hurt one another?”
McKnight said he saw a speech by an Atlanta rapper Killer Mike, who gave him hope. The rapper invoked the long history of those who have fought for justice and implored Georgians to honor them by using their anger and energy not to burn, but to organize, mobilize, strategize and vote.
Carter Paysinger, who grew up in South Los Angeles and later served as principal of Beverly Hills High, said he watched televised news of demonstrations across the country with his 9-year-old son. They also saw a news story about the long history of police not being prosecuted for brutality.
“All these years later, I was having the same conversation with my son that my dad had with me after the Watts riots,” said Paysinger. “I told him about understanding that he could be in the right, but if he’s stopped by a police officer … you have to be absolutely respectful to the officer, keep your hands in view at all times and cooperate with whatever they’re saying. I told him the way you protest is to do it peacefully.”
And what did his son say?
“He said so if these cops killed those black people and didn’t have to go to jail, that’s not fair. We would have to go to jail if we killed somebody.”
Drew Palmer, an engineer who has worked as a youth mentor for 25 years, lost his composure as he talked about watching the video of the Minnesota cop who dug his knee into George Floyd for nearly nine minutes. The cop seemed nonchalant, Palmer said, noting that he had his hand in his pocket while Floyd was dying. It was as if that cop was sending a message to black America, Palmer said.
“I will keep kneeling on your neck and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it. The smugness, the smugness, the SMUGNESS of that officer. That imagery will be emblazoned in my mind until I die,” said Palmer.
I’ve known Lawrence Tolliver as a businessman, a community leader, a family man and a friend.
I watched him bury a son who died of cancer.
I walked with him to the polls the day he voted for Obama.
I watched him reel at the racially loaded language of division that carried Obama’s successor -- a president now trying to suppress turnout by attacking mail-in voting -- into the White House.
I have never seen him as distraught and discouraged as he is now.
“I’m an optimist,” Tolliver told me, as if trying to convince himself that he is.
As if trying once more to find his faith.
“I hope the good forces stand up and the people who want to do the right thing will make a difference, and we will survive.”
Steve.lopez@latimes.com


latimes--2020-06-03--61 people charged with looting, other crimes in L.A. as peaceful protests continue

More than 60 people now face criminal charges in Los Angeles County stemming from their alleged roles in the looting and violent clashes that marred protests over police brutality and earlier this week authorities announced Wednesday .
Many of the charges filed against the 61 defendants are for alleged looting , according to the L.A. County district attorney ’ s office , but some people also face counts of burglary , robbery , identity theft , receiving stolen property , possession of a destructive device and assault and-or battery upon a peace officer .
“ I support the peaceful organized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to racial inequality throughout our society , including in the criminal justice system , ” Dist .
Atty .
Jackie Lacey said in a statement .
“ I also have a constitutional and ethical duty to protect the public and prosecute people who loot and vandalize our community.
” The announcement of the charges came as protests over Floyd ’ s death stretched into a sixth day across Southern California .
Though Wednesday ’ s demonstrations have so far been peaceful affairs , Los Angeles County still extended its sweeping curfew for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ begin the curfew at 9 p.m. , three hours later than previous nights , although Sheriff Alex Villanueva said his deputies would not begin enforcement until 10 p.m. — meaning that residents in cities like Los Angeles could be subject to arrest at 9 p.m. , while residents in areas patrolled by sheriff ’ s deputies could be outside until 10 p.m .
In all areas however , the curfew ends at 5 a.m. Thursday , and does not apply to law enforcement , first responders , people traveling to and from work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wednesday that officials were assessing whether to continue the curfew for another day , noting “ big improvements from previous days ” related to the protests .
County Supervisor Janice Hahn disagreed with extending the curfew .
She said curfews may have been warranted on Sunday and Monday nights , but “ now it seems like they are being used to arrest peaceful protesters.
” “ I don ’ t think they are needed anymore , ” she wrote on Twitter .
On Wednesday , Santa Monica , Beverly Hills , Torrance and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for another day .
The Santa Monica and Culver City curfews will be enforced from 6 p.m. until 6 a.m. Thursday .
The curfew in Torrance will be enforced from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Thursday .
In Beverly Hills , the city is imposing two curfews .
The first , in the city ’ s business districts , will begin at 1 p.m. and last until 6 a.m. Thursday .
The citywide curfew will begin at 4 p.m. and last until 6 a.m. Thursday .
The countywide curfew has sparked widespread criticism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an attempt to quell criticism of law enforcement .
On Tuesday , an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union sent a letter to Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger requesting that she rescind or restrict the curfew order .
ACLU senior counsel Ahilan Arulanantham wrote in the letter that the U.S. Constitution does not permit the county to order such a sweeping restriction on free speech and travel to address “ a few localized attacks on property.
” “ We recognize that in the last few days some individuals have damaged and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have engaged in peaceful protests , but that unlawful conduct can not justify a state of emergency in the entire county that effectively places over 10 million people under house arrest for twelve hours every evening and morning , ” Arulanantham wrote .
L.A. County wasn ’ t alone .
Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg said a curfew would probably remain in effect in the capital through Sunday .
“ We ’ re keeping it for a few days longer just to keep the community , including the protesters , safe , ” he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ see peaceful demonstrations then we can start fresh next week.
” Though there has been little unrest since stealing and vandalism hit Sacramento ’ s downtown area and some suburbs on Sunday night , authorities have not indicated they plan to remove the order , and 500 National Guard troops remain in the city and county to protect critical sites .
More than 100 protesters gathered in front of Anaheim City Hall on Wednesday morning for what was billed as a peaceful sit-in to honor Floyd , who died last week after a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ground with a knee to his neck .
Shortly before 11 a.m. , the group laid down silently on the steps of the civic center for eight minutes to memorialize the amount of time the officer had his knee on Floyd ’ s neck .
In Los Angeles County , more than a thousand peaceful protesters filled the streets outside Los Angeles City Hall early Wednesday evening , while earlier in the day , more than a thousand protesters , many holding signs reading “ Black Lives Matter , ” converged on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Monica boulevards in West Hollywood Wednesday afternoon .
Cars driving by honked in support as protesters chanted Floyd ’ s name .
Eventually , the crowd made its way into the street and knelt down , blocking traffic and chanting “ I can ’ t breathe.
” Nick Atkinson repeatedly yelled at sheriff ’ s deputies about how they should be wearing masks , taking a knee and held accountable for their actions .
He said he has lived in Los Angeles for 20 years and wants to make it clear that killing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Where are your masks ?
Why aren ’ t you wearing your masks ?
You ’ re all paid to serve and protect us , ” he yelled .
As marchers made their way through Hollywood Wednesday , the protest took on a festive atmosphere with many people exchanging hugs or handing out water , masks and hand sanitizer .
In Orange County , several hundred people had gathered along MacArthur Boulevard and Pacific Coast Highway in Newport Beach by 1 p.m. for the first of several planned demonstrations in the city @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Irvine was among the crowd that gathered near Fashion Island to decry the death of Floyd and denounce police brutality against people of color .
Despite Orange County ’ s history as a haven for conservative politics in California and its embrace of law-and-order politicians , Gaglani said the demonstration highlighted what she believes is a progressive shift in the region ’ s political trajectory .
Fashion Island ’ s entrances on Wednesday were blocked with plastic barricades .
Security guards stood sentry behind them .
A line of Newport Beach police officers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the sidewalks of Pacific Coast Highway .
Two counterprotesters , waving American flags and a “ Thin Blue Line ” banner , were surrounded by demonstrators chanting , “ black lives matter.
” For Gale Oliver Jr. , a pastor at the Greater Light Family Church in Santa Ana , a protest against racism and police brutality in one of Orange County ’ s wealthiest enclaves was a sign of the times .
“ It ’ s a blessing that this is going on in Newport Beach , ” Oliver , who is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , this is going on in Newport Beach ?
I guess America is finally listening.
” Oliver said pastors in Santa Ana began meeting regularly with Orange County law enforcement officials about five years ago in hopes of ending “ policing from the point of view that they ’ re under attack.
” He said he ’ s seen progress , but more needs to be done .
“ Two men have said , ‘ I can ’ t breath.
’ One said it eight times , one said it 11 times , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deaths of Floyd and Eric Garner .
“ I can ’ t breathe — what that really means is there ’ s things that will suffocate you .
Racism will suffocate you .
Hate will suffocate you.
” Kyle Scallon turned out Wednesday to protest not just Floyd ’ s death , but a discriminatory approach he believes law enforcement in Orange County has practiced for too long .
Driving in his hometown on Mission Viejo and elsewhere in the county , Scallon , 21 , said he has been pulled over by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who is Creole .
“ I ’ m here because I just want cops to realize not everyone ’ s bad , ” he said , standing with a group of protesters on the corner of MacArthur and Pacific Coast Highway .
“ It ’ s become the system , but they need to realize not everyone they meet is bad.
” While the protests in Newport were calm , a television camera captured a scary scene on Balboa Boulevard when a vehicle zipped through a crowd of demonstrators — eventually colliding with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the driver stopped and is cooperating with the investigation , according to Newport Beach Police Department spokeswoman Heather Rangel .
This doesn ’ t appear to have been a deliberate action , she added .
Two others protests are scheduled in Newport later in the evening , one on the pedestrian bridge over San Miguel Drive at Civic Center Park near City Hall , and another at the Back Bay .
Past demonstrations have been met with a large police presence , and officials have raised concerns about looting and vandalism in their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ members will deploy to protect the Westfield Mall in Culver City on Wednesday afternoon following several nights of people attempting to gain access to the shopping area to vandalize and loot , according to City Manager John Nachbar .
“ Using significant resources , the Culver City Police Department and local law enforcement partners have been successful in fighting off these criminal attempts , including using methods such as using buses to block mall parking lot entrances , ” Nachbar wrote in a letter to the community .
“ In the meantime , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ burglarize other retail stores around Culver City.
” Ten retail stores have been burglarized in the past several days , and other threats have been made to shops in Culver City , including stores at the mall and the city ’ s two Target locations , Nachbar wrote .
“ These threats have come through social media , law enforcement intelligence , community members , other neighboring law enforcement agencies , and mall management , ” he wrote .
Elsewhere in the county , reports of looting and vandalism appeared to be down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ peaceful protests showed no signs of ending .
Demonstrations on Tuesday , which centered in Hollywood and downtown Los Angeles , were largely peaceful compared with earlier demonstrations that devolved into the destruction and looting of businesses .
Hundreds more were arrested , mostly for violating curfew when protesters refused to leave .
But initial reports showed far less looting and vandalism than in recent days .
Still , confrontations with police continued .
Several dozen protesters were arrested downtown after refusing to leave after the 6 p.m. curfew .
On Tuesday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Street to march through the streets in honor of Floyd .
Eventually , the throng approached a line of several dozen officers holding batons .
“ Let us walk , ” the protesters yelled .
Chants of “ I can ’ t breathe , ” among Floyd ’ s final choked words , echoed throughout the throng of demonstrators .
Aijshia Moody , 30 , held a cardboard sign that read , “ Am I next ?
” Her brother is 14 years old and has many times endured racial profiling in their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ He can ’ t even get on his skateboard , ” she said , adding that she ’ s dealt with racism throughout her life .
“ That ’ s why I ’ m here.
” A crowd surrounded police near Ivar Avenue and Hollywood Boulevard in the early afternoon , after law enforcement received a radio call about armed looters , authorities said .
Protesters began throwing bottles and sticks in response to a growing police presence .
Officers then fired rubber bullets .
As police pushed the crowd down Ivar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ red pickup .
The driver did not want to stop or put her keys on the dashboard as police tried to pass by , officers said .
She was quickly detained .
Authorities had taken about 2,500 people into custody from Friday to Tuesday morning after a mix of peaceful protests and property destruction rocked downtown , the Fairfax district , Van Nuys and Hollywood , LAPD Chief Michel Moore said .
Booking records reviewed by The Times show the vast majority of those arrested in L.A. County on looting , vandalism and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to refute perceptions that “ outside agitators ” were fueling unrest .
Heaven Bouldin , 25 , said “ it ’ s ridiculous ” that so many protesters have been arrested when three Minneapolis officers who were present when Floyd died have yet to be held accountable .
“ I ’ ve been protesting for the last 10 years .
I ’ m tired , I ’ m tired , I ’ m tired , ” Bouldin said .
“ My people have been getting killed for the last 200 years .
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can ’ t bring an end to this ... .
Somebody has to do something.
” Derek Chauvin , the white police officer who used his knee to hold Floyd on the ground by the neck , was fired last week and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter in Floyd ’ s death .
The other officers at the scene when Floyd died — Thomas Lane , Tou Thao and J Alexander Kueng — are being investigated for their roles .
About 1 in 1,000 black men and boys in the U.S. can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police , according to a 2019 analysis by Rutgers University researchers .
Protesters have demanded that society at large , and particularly those in power , acknowledge and take action against such manifestations of systemic oppression .
Walking alongside a crush of protesters in Hollywood , community organizer Pete White briefly stopped in front of a Chase bank branch to snap a photo of a scrawled message : “ Chase yo dreams.
” “ State violence brings me out here today , ” said White , a South L.A. resident who turned 49 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ without justice , he added .
“ How do you get justice ?
By making sure you defund the police and take all of those resources and put it in schooling , put it in services , in housing , in universal healthcare , ” White said .
“ We ’ re saying we don ’ t need another commission , another study or implicit bias training .
We ’ ve been there and the same thing keeps happening .
Again and again.
” At the downtown L.A. protests , many parents brought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Khalil Bass , 30 , and his wife brought their 6-month-old son .
Bass , a football player in high school and college , said he was repeatedly pulled over in Santa Clarita when he would drive his teammates somewhere and the police saw a car full of men of color .
“ I don ’ t want him when he gets his driver ’ s license to be pulled over for no reason and have guns drawn on him , ” Bass said of his son .
Wearing a short-sleeve shirt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Garcia said that people needed to know that the protesters were strong and powerful .
The 8-year-old was perched atop a slow-moving black Jetta with her legs dangling through the sunroof , holding one small clenched fist aloft — high above the sea of protesters stretching as far as the eye could see in either direction on Spring Street .
In her other hand , a white foam board sign said , “ # Charge All Four.
” Her mom , Maureen Maldonado , was in the backseat , holding a list of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ too long to fit on a single piece of cardboard .
Maldonado said that she and her daughter had been protesting for four days .
Coronavirus had “ removed all types of childcare ” from the 38-year-old office manager ’ s life , but she also believed that her daughter should be at the protests .
“ At least for me , the only change I can make is that I shape my daughter the right way , ” Maldonado said .
Just after 1 p.m. in Hollywood , dozens of activists chanted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ After several minutes , at least two Guardsmen complied .
The crowd cheered .
Other protesters encountered a line of police officers and began chanting , “ Walk with us , ” and “ Let us walk.
” The group was trying to reach another crowd of demonstrators farther up Hollywood Boulevard , past Cherokee .
The were met with a line of at least 20 LAPD officers who wouldn ’ t let them pass .
As the group neared the line , their hands up , police began raising their batons to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a white flower in an officer ’ s pocket .
The officer threw it to the ground .
Times staff writers Benjamin Oreskes , Matthew Ormseth , James Queally , Laura J. Nelson , Gustavo Arellano , Alene Tchekmedyian , Jaclyn Cosgrove , Anita Chabria , Laura Newberry and Sarah Parvini contributed to this report .

Brittny Mejia, Dorany Pineda, Alejandra Reyes-Velarde, Julia Wick, Hannah Fry, Richard Winton, Luke Money

Several hundred protesters take a knee and hold their fists in the air during a moment of silence to honor George Floyd during a peaceful protest march from Manhattan Beach to Hermosa Beach. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti walks out to address protesters and clergy members outside LAPD headquarters on Tuesday. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
LAPD Cmdr. Gerald Woodyard takes a knee with clergy members from the Los Angeles area as they participate in a march and demonstration outside LAPD headquarters in Los Angeles. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
Janie Hill,15, from Lawndale, receives a hug from a friend, following an emotional discussion with a Manhattan Beach Police officer, at the conclusion of a protest in Manhattan Beach. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)
Several hundred protesters gather to demand justice for George Floyd at the Manhattan Beach Pier Plaza Tuesday. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Mira Ercingoz,16, from Palos Verdes, center in red hat, holds a poster with an image of George Floyd alongside protesters in Manhattan Beach. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)
A young woman reacts to a group chant, while gathered with a couple hundred people to protest the death of George Floyd and in support of Black Lives Matter, near the Manhattan Beach Pier. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)
Jessica Jordan takes a knee as she joins other protesters at Sunset & Vine in Hollywood on Tuesday. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
Protestors gather outside Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Hancock Park house as they continue to demonstrate against police brutality. (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times)
Terrence Burney, 36, left, and Commander of the LAPD Operation West Bureau Cory Palka, right, talk together peacefully in front of Getty House in Hancock Park. (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times)
A woman stands next to an image of George Floyd as hundreds participate in a march against the in-custody death of Floyd in Venice. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
Several hundred protesters take a knee and hold their fists in the air during a moment of silence to honor George Floyd during a peaceful protest march from Manhattan Beach to Hermosa Beach. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Protesters shoot hoops while taking a break from marching against the death of George Floyd by police on Abbot Kinney Blvd. in Venice on Tuesday. The basketball hoop was attached to the front of a bus that followed the protest for a while. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
Members of the California National Guard flash peace signs after protesters had marched by in support of Black Lives Matter in Venice. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
“Hands up. Don’t shoot,” say hundreds participating in a march against the of George Floyd on Abbot Kinney Blvd. in Venice onTuesday. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
Hundreds of protesters march throughout downtown ending with many arrested for curfew violations. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
Hussain Sharif, left, Mari Drake, and Thomas Rosado chant as they ride along with hundreds of protesters at a downtown demonstration. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
Marcus Owen, yells out chants for George Floyd as hundreds of protesters gather outside City Hall in a daylong protest. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
Makenzie Anderson, 2, rides on her father, Shawn’s shoulders as they join hundreds of protesters marching throughout downtown. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
Bando Kev prays along Hollywood Blvd. in front of the National Guard and near TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)
Protestors rally on the steps Anaheim City Hall steps against last week’s in-custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)
Protestors rally on the steps Anaheim City Hall steps against last week’s in-custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)
Protestors rally on the steps Anaheim City Hall steps against last week’s in-custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)
Protestors rally on the steps Anaheim City Hall steps against last week’s in-custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)
Protesters march through West Hollywood to demand justice for the killing of George Floyd during march on Wednesday. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)
Protesters march through West Hollywood to demand justice for the killing of George Floyd during march on Wednesday. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)
Hundreds of demonstrators block traffic as they march down both sides of Balboa Blvd. to protest against racism in Newport Beach. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
In a sign of peace, protesters reach out to Riverside County Sheriff deputies, who were there to enforce an 8pm curfew during a demonstration to protest the death of George Floyd’s in Moreno Valley. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
Riverside County Sheriff Lt Chris Durham tries to calm nerves after hundreds of demonstrators that marched to the police station protest the death of George Floyd in Moreno Valley. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
A huge crowd gathers in downtown Los Angeles to protest the death of George Floyd and in support of Black Lives Matter. (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times)
Paul Villalobos, 28, from Oakland, joins other demonstrators as they protest on Spring St. in downtown Los Angeles. (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)
Mustafa-Ali, 27, from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, joins other demonstrators as they protest on Spring St. in downtown Los Angeles. (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)
A L.A. Sheriff’s deputy watches as protester Annik Chung holds a sign while cheering on marchers along La Brea Ave. in Hollywood. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)
Protester Vailing high-fives National Guardsmen as they march through Hollywood to demand justice for the killing of George Floyd in Hollywood. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)
Stephen Chang, 32, left, of Silver Lake, with an American flag draped over his head, joins other demonstrators at the intersection of Spring and Temple streets in downtown Los Angeles, as they protest against L.A. Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey and also demand justice in the death of George Floyd. (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)
Crowds gather in downtown L.A. to protest the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. At 9 p.m., for exactly 8 minutes and 46 seconds, protesters shone lights into the sky. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
Gustavo R. Ramirez of Pomona kneels in front of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. statue in Riverside. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
A protester drapes himself with a flag during a demonstration in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
LAPD Chief Michel Moore, left, talks with community leaders outside police headquarters after a candlelight vigil for George Floyd on Friday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
Zoe Perkins, 4, of Glendale and her mother brought flowers to the Hall of Justice in downtown Los Angeles to protest the death of George Floyd. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
Katyana DeCampos, a citizen of France visiting California, marched with a sign with the words “Anti Racism,” joining nearly 1,000 people gathered to protest the death of George Floyd and in support of Black Lives Matter, in downtown Los Angeles. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)
Mek Bitul held up a sign with the words, “This Is The Tipping Point!!!” in front of City Hall, joining nearly 1,000 people gathered to protest the death of George Floyd and in support of Black Lives Matter, in downtown Los Angeles. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)
A protester lies on the ground under his horse with his hands behind his back as demonstrators including some on horseback rally in front of LA City Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson’s office in Los Angeles Saturday. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
A National Guardsman holds a rose given to him by a protester along Fairfax Ave. during a march Saturday. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)
A protester yells in front of a Black Lives Matter mural with the names of victims on Fairfax Ave. during a march Saturday. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)
Los Angeles Police Deputy Chief Regina Scott takes knee next to Johnathan Jasper, brother of slain teen Anthony Weber, during a rally in front of LA City Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson’s office Saturday. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
A woman tries to get between Black Lives Matter protesters and pro-Trump counter protesters during a demonstration at the intersection of Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach on Saturday. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
A family member of Breonna Taylor, right, is hugged by another woman after speaking to protesters in Beverly Hills Saturday. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)
Elijah Estrada, 6, holds up his fist for 8:46, the length of time George Floyd was held down by Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin, at the conclusion of a peace ride and walk with the Compton Cowboys at Compton City Hall on Sunday. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)
Houston Rockets star Russell Westbrook speaks to the crowd of protesters and the Compton Cowboys at the end of a peace walk at Compton City Hall on Sunday. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
The Compton Cowboys ride horseback down South Tamarind Avenue, joining thousand of protesters Sunday during the Compton peace ride, which ended at City Hall. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)
Protesters march, raising fists and signs in the air, on La Brea Avenue in Hollywood on Sunday. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Protesters hold up signs at the All Black Lives Matter march, which was organized by Black LGBTQ leaders and organizations in place of a previously planned event by the group behind LA Pride. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Jason De Puy of West Hollywood wears a mask that reads “Black Trans Lives Matter” as people fill Hollywood Boulevard during a solidarity march called All Black Lives Matter on Sunday, June 14. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
Thousands hold up signs and march in the All Black Lives Matter solidarity protest on Hollywood Boulevard. The procession started at Hollywood and Highland and moved into West Hollywood. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
A protester waves a rainbow flag on Sunset Boulevard during the All Black Lives Matter march on Sunday. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
People participate in the All Black Lives Matter march in West Hollywood on Sunday, June 14. Thousands of demonstrators marched for racial justice and LGBTQ rights. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
Deborah Jay Winams cries after singing a song at a Black Lives Matter Los Angeles rally to call for justice in the fatal shooting of Kenneth Ross Jr. by Gardena police in 2018. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)
A protester dances on top of Donald Trump’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame during a demonstration by members of Refuse Fascism who are calling an end to the Trump administration on June 20, 2020. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
As protests over police brutality and the death of George Floyd stretched into a sixth day, Los Angeles officials said Wednesday that they will look to cut $100 million to $150 million from the city’s police budget as part of a broader effort to reinvest more dollars into the black community.
In all, Mayor Eric Garcetti pledged that the city would “identify $250 million in cuts so we can invest in jobs, in health, in education and in healing,” especially in the city’s black community “as well as communities of color and women and people who have been left behind.”
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Those cuts, he said, would be “to every department, including the Police Department, because we all have to be part of this solution together. We all have to step up and say, ‘What can we sacrifice?’”
Eileen Decker, president of the Los Angeles Police Commission, said that effort includes identifying $100 million to $150 million in cuts from the Police Department — something City Council President Nury Martinez and other council members had called for earlier in the day. The LAPD’s total annual budget is $1.86 billion.
Garcetti also said the city will impose a moratorium on placing people in a statewide database for identifying and tracking gang members — which reform advocates had lobbied for — and will require officers to intervene when they see inappropriate use of force and report misconduct.
The mayor also said he would support the creation of a special prosecutor to review officer misconduct cases, another demand of activists.
The announcements came as demonstrators filled the streets outside City Hall and nearby Grand Park. Many chanted “Black lives matter” and “What’s the problem? The whole damn system!” as LAPD helicopters orbited overhead.
News of Garcetti’s announcement was met with mixed reaction among the demonstrators outside.
Carter Gregory, 26, said it was a good first step. “I think he’s listening and needs to keep going,” he said.
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Al Calderon, 26, said more should be done at the top. “The D.A. should be held accountable for her lack of leadership and care for the people that we lost,” he said of Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey,
Though Wednesday’s demonstrations have so far been peaceful affairs, more than 60 people now face criminal charges in Los Angeles County stemming from their alleged roles in the looting and violent clashes that marred protests this week , authorities announced.
Many of the charges filed against the 61 defendants are for alleged looting, according to the L.A. County district attorney’s office, but some people also face counts of burglary, robbery, identity theft, receiving stolen property, possession of a destructive device and assault and/or battery upon a peace officer.
“I support the peaceful organized protests that already have brought needed attention to racial inequality throughout our society, including in the criminal justice system,” Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey said in a statement. “I also have a constitutional and ethical duty to protect the public and prosecute people who loot and vandalize our community.”
Los Angeles County also extended its sweeping curfew for a fourth day.
County officials opted to begin the curfew at 9 p.m., three hours later than previous nights, although Sheriff Alex Villanueva said his deputies would not begin enforcement until 10 p.m. — meaning that residents in areas patrolled by sheriff’s deputies could be outside until then.
In all areas, however, the curfew ends at 5 a.m. Thursday, and does not apply to law enforcement, first responders, people traveling to and from work and unsheltered individuals.
Villanueva said early Wednesday that officials were assessing whether to continue the curfew for another day, noting “big improvements from previous days” related to the protests.
County Supervisor Janice Hahn disagreed with extending the curfew. She said curfews may have been warranted on Sunday and Monday nights, but “now it seems like they are being used to arrest peaceful protesters.”
“I don’t think they are needed anymore,” she wrote on Twitter.
Garcetti said that, “barring a bad night” Wednesday, the overnight curfew will be lifted in the city Thursday.
On Wednesday, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Torrance and Culver City extended curfews in their cities for another day. The Santa Monica and Culver City curfews will be enforced from 6 p.m. until 6 a.m. Thursday. The curfew in Torrance will be enforced from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Thursday.
In Beverly Hills, the city is imposing two curfews. The first, in the city’s business districts, will begin at 1 p.m. and last until 6 a.m. Thursday. The citywide curfew will begin at 4 p.m. and last until 6 a.m. Thursday.
The countywide curfew has sparked widespread criticism from protesters who see the action as an attempt to quell criticism of law enforcement. On Tuesday, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union sent a letter to Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger requesting that she rescind or restrict the curfew order.
ACLU senior counsel Ahilan Arulanantham wrote in the letter that the U.S. Constitution does not permit the county to order such a sweeping restriction on free speech and travel to address “a few localized attacks on property.”
“We recognize that in the last few days some individuals have damaged and stolen property in areas where many others have engaged in peaceful protests, but that unlawful conduct cannot justify a state of emergency in the entire county that effectively places over 10 million people under house arrest for twelve hours every evening and morning,” Arulanantham wrote.
L.A. County wasn’t alone. Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg said a curfew would probably remain in effect in the capital through Sunday.
“We’re keeping it for a few days longer just to keep the community, including the protesters, safe,” he said. “If we continue to see peaceful demonstrations then we can start fresh next week.”
Though there has been little unrest since stealing and vandalism hit Sacramento’s downtown area and some suburbs on Sunday night, authorities have not indicated they plan to remove the order, and 500 National Guard troops remain in the city and county to protect critical sites.
More than 100 protesters gathered in front of Anaheim City Hall on Wednesday morning for what was billed as a peaceful sit-in to honor Floyd.
Shortly before 11 a.m., the group laid down silently on the steps of the civic center for eight minutes to memorialize the amount of time the officer had his knee on Floyd’s neck.
In Los Angeles County, more than a thousand peaceful protesters filled the streets outside Los Angeles City Hall early Wednesday evening, while earlier in the day, more than a thousand protesters, many holding signs reading “Black Lives Matter,” converged on the intersection of La Cienega and Santa Monica boulevards in West Hollywood.
Cars driving by honked in support as protesters chanted Floyd’s name. Eventually, the crowd made its way into the street and knelt down, blocking traffic and chanting “I can’t breathe.”
Nick Atkinson repeatedly yelled at sheriff’s deputies about how they should be wearing masks and taking a knee and should be held accountable for their actions.
He said he has lived in Los Angeles for 20 years and wants to make it clear that killing black men and women is wrong.
“Where are your masks? Why aren’t you wearing your masks? You’re all paid to serve and protect us,” he yelled.
As marchers made their way through Hollywood, the protest took on a festive atmosphere with many people exchanging hugs or handing out water, masks and hand sanitizer.
A moment of silence at Hollywood and Highland for those who had been killed. pic.twitter.com/gSk7p7L5gp — Benjamin Oreskes🦅 (@boreskes) June 3, 2020
In Orange County, several hundred people had gathered along MacArthur Boulevard and Pacific Coast Highway in Newport Beach by 1 p.m. for the first of several planned demonstrations in the city.
Simran Gaglani, 23, of Irvine was among the crowd that gathered near Fashion Island to decry the death of Floyd and denounce police brutality against people of color. Despite Orange County’s history as a haven for conservative politics in California and its embrace of law-and-order politicians, Gaglani said the demonstration highlighted what she believes is a progressive shift in the region’s political trajectory.
“It’s a new generation,” Gaglani said.
Fashion Island’s entrances on Wednesday were blocked with plastic barricades. Security guards stood sentry behind them. A line of Newport Beach police officers watched as protesters marched up and down the sidewalks of Pacific Coast Highway.
Two counterprotesters, waving American flags and a “Thin Blue Line” banner, were surrounded by demonstrators chanting, “Black lives matter.”
For Gale Oliver Jr., a pastor at the Greater Light Family Church in Santa Ana, a protest against racism and police brutality in one of Orange County’s wealthiest enclaves was a sign of the times.
“It’s a blessing that this is going on in Newport Beach,” Oliver, who is black, said. “I mean, this is going on in Newport Beach? I guess America is finally listening.”
Oliver said pastors in Santa Ana began meeting regularly with Orange County law enforcement officials about five years ago in hopes of ending “policing from the point of view that they’re under attack.” He said he’s seen progress, but more needs to be done.
“Two men have said, ‘I can’t breathe.’ One said it eight times, one said it 11 times,” Oliver said, referring to the deaths of Floyd and Eric Garner. “‘I can’t breathe’ — what that really means is there’s things that will suffocate you. Racism will suffocate you. Hate will suffocate you.”
Kyle Scallon turned out Wednesday to protest not just Floyd’s death, but also a discriminatory approach he believes law enforcement in Orange County has practiced for too long. Driving in his hometown of Mission Viejo and elsewhere in the county, Scallon, 21, said he has been pulled over by officers intent on questioning his girlfriend, who is Creole.
“I’m here because I just want cops to realize not everyone’s bad,” he said, standing with a group of protesters on the corner of MacArthur and Pacific Coast Highway. “It’s become the system, but they need to realize not everyone they meet is bad.”
While the protests in Newport were calm, a television camera captured a scary scene on Balboa Boulevard when a vehicle zipped through a crowd of demonstrators — colliding with a bicyclist.
No one was injured and the driver stopped and is cooperating with the investigation, Newport Beach Police Department spokeswoman Heather Rangel said. This doesn’t appear to have been a deliberate action, she added.
Two other protests were scheduled in Newport later in the evening, one on the pedestrian bridge over San Miguel Drive at Civic Center Park near City Hall, and another at the Back Bay.
Past demonstrations have been met with a large police presence, and officials have raised concerns about looting and vandalism in their communities.
About 25 National Guard service members will deploy to protect the Westfield mall in Culver City on Wednesday afternoon following several nights of people attempting to gain access to the shopping area to vandalize and loot, City Manager John Nachbar said.
“Using significant resources, the Culver City Police Department and local law enforcement partners have been successful in fighting off these criminal attempts, including using methods such as using buses to block mall parking lot entrances,” Nachbar wrote in a letter to the community. “In the meantime, other criminals have burglarized or attempted to burglarize other retail stores around Culver City.”
Ten retail stores have been burglarized in the past several days, and other threats have been made to shops in Culver City, including stores at the mall and the city’s two Target locations, Nachbar wrote.
“These threats have come through social media, law enforcement intelligence, community members, other neighboring law enforcement agencies, and mall management,” he wrote.
Elsewhere in the county, reports of looting and vandalism appeared to be down compared with previous days. However, peaceful protests showed no signs of ending.
Demonstrations on Tuesday, which centered in Hollywood and downtown Los Angeles, were largely peaceful compared with earlier demonstrations that devolved into the destruction and looting of businesses.
Hundreds more were arrested, mostly for violating curfew when protesters refused to leave. But initial reports showed far less looting and vandalism than in recent days.
Still, confrontations with police continued. Several dozen protesters were arrested downtown after refusing to leave after the 6 p.m. curfew.
On Tuesday, hundreds gathered at Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street to march through the streets in honor of Floyd. Eventually, the throng approached a line of several dozen officers holding batons.
Jessica Jordan takes a knee as she joins other protesters at Sunset Boulevard and Vine Street in Hollywood. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
“Let us walk,” the protesters yelled. Chants of “I can’t breathe,” among Floyd’s final choked words, echoed throughout the throng of demonstrators.
Aijshia Moody, 30, held a cardboard sign that read, “Am I next?” Her brother is 14 years old and has many times endured racial profiling in their hometown of Pacoima, she said.
“He can’t even get on his skateboard,” she said, adding that she’s dealt with racism throughout her life. “That’s why I’m here.”
A crowd surrounded police near Ivar Avenue and Hollywood Boulevard in the early afternoon, after law enforcement received a radio call about armed looters, authorities said. Protesters began throwing bottles and sticks in response to a growing police presence. Officers then fired rubber bullets.
As police pushed the crowd down Ivar, they confronted two women in a red pickup. The driver did not want to stop or put her keys on the dashboard as police tried to pass by, officers said. She was quickly detained.
Authorities had taken about 2,500 people into custody from Friday to Tuesday morning after a mix of peaceful protests and property destruction rocked downtown, the Fairfax district, Van Nuys and Hollywood, LAPD Chief Michel Moore said.
Booking records reviewed by The Times show the vast majority of those arrested in L.A. County on looting, vandalism and burglary charges are county residents, seeming to refute perceptions that “outside agitators” were fueling unrest.
Heaven Bouldin, 25, said “it’s ridiculous” that so many protesters have been arrested when three Minneapolis officers who were present when Floyd died have yet to be held accountable.
“I’ve been protesting for the last 10 years. I’m tired, I’m tired, I’m tired,” Bouldin said. “My people have been getting killed for the last 200 years. We’re in 2020 and we still can’t bring an end to this.... Somebody has to do something.”
Derek Chauvin, the white police officer who used his knee to hold Floyd on the ground by the neck, was fired last week and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter in Floyd’s death. The other officers at the scene when Floyd died — Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J Alexander Kueng — are being investigated for their roles.
About 1 in 1,000 black men and boys in the U.S. can expect to die at the hands of police, according to a 2019 analysis by Rutgers University researchers.
Protesters have demanded that society at large, and particularly those in power, acknowledge and take action against such manifestations of systemic oppression.
Walking alongside a crush of protesters in Hollywood, community organizer Pete White briefly stopped in front of a Chase bank branch to snap a photo of a scrawled message: “Chase yo dreams.”
“State violence brings me out here today,” said White, a South L.A. resident who turned 49 on Tuesday.
There is no peace without justice, he added.
Marcus Owen, with bullhorn, leads a moment of silence for George Floyd as hundreds of protesters gather outside L.A. City Hall. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
“How do you get justice? By making sure you defund the police and take all of those resources and put it in schooling, put it in services, in housing, in universal healthcare,” White said. “We’re saying we don’t need another commission, another study or implicit bias training. We’ve been there and the same thing keeps happening. Again and again.”
At the downtown L.A. protests, many parents brought their children to experience the historic moment.
Khalil Bass, 30, and his wife brought their 6-month-old son.
Bass, a football player in high school and college, said he was repeatedly pulled over in Santa Clarita when he would drive his teammates somewhere and the police saw a car full of men of color.
“I don’t want him when he gets his driver’s license to be pulled over for no reason and have guns drawn on him,” Bass said of his son.
Wearing a short-sleeve shirt covered with photos of cats, Gianna Garcia said that people needed to know that the protesters were strong and powerful.
The 8-year-old was perched atop a slow-moving black Jetta with her legs dangling through the sunroof, holding one small clenched fist aloft — high above the sea of protesters stretching as far as the eye could see in either direction on Spring Street. In her other hand, a white foam board sign said, “#Charge All Four.”
Her mom, Maureen Maldonado, was in the backseat, holding a list of black people killed by police officers, too long to fit on a single piece of cardboard.
Maldonado said that she and her daughter had been protesting for four days. Coronavirus had “removed all types of childcare” from the 38-year-old office manager’s life, but she also believed that her daughter should be at the protests.
“At least for me, the only change I can make is that I shape my daughter the right way,” Maldonado said.
Just after 1 p.m. in Hollywood, dozens of activists chanted “Take a knee” at members of the National Guard. After several minutes, at least two Guardsmen complied. The crowd cheered.
Other protesters encountered a line of police officers and began chanting, “Walk with us,” and “Let us walk.” The group was trying to reach another crowd of demonstrators farther up Hollywood Boulevard, past Cherokee.
The marchers were met with a line of at least 20 LAPD officers who wouldn’t let them pass. As the group neared the line, their hands up, police began raising their batons to hold them back.
One protester placed a white flower in an officer’s pocket. The officer threw it to the ground.
Times staff writers Benjamin Oreskes, Matthew Ormseth, James Queally, Laura J. Nelson, Gustavo Arellano, Alene Tchekmedyian, Jaclyn Cosgrove, Anita Chabria, Laura Newberry, Sarah Parvini and Kevin Rector contributed to this report.