latimes--2020-06-02--More looting and arrests amid peaceful protests in L.A.

A day of largely peaceful protests Monday over police brutality and the death of George Floyd ended with another series of looting incidents focused mostly in Van Nuys and Hollywood .
Demonstrations big and small occurred around California as the movement ignited by Floyd ’ s death show no signs of slowing .
But police continued to deal with people who appeared to use the protests as an opportunity to break into stores and steal merchandise .
But unlike on Friday and Saturday nights , the Los Angeles Police Department moved rapidly on various scenes and it appeared dozens were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ numerous stores were hit and at least one fire was set .
Eva Bandikian , the manager at Kovac ’ s Care Pharmacy , said looters broke the lock on the door and stole “ everything , ” including money , the cash register and medicine .
Bandikian watched a feed from the store ’ s surveillance camera on her phone as about 10 young people stormed in .
“ It doesn ’ t have anything to do with us , ” she said .
“ They ’ re angry with the police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ becoming clearer that the protests and the looting were being carried out separately .
Some protesters actually blocked people trying to break into a store on Sunset Boulevard .
Less than an hour earlier , there was a moment of unity between demonstrators and police .
LAPD Cmdr .
Cory Palka took a megaphone from demonstrators , urging them to protest in peace , abide by the county ’ s 6 p.m. curfew and leave nearby businesses untouched .
“ If I take a knee with you guys , will you give me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ peaceful matter ?
” Palka yelled .
The crowd screamed in approval .
Someone yelled : “ Lead by example !
” Palka knelt on Sunset Boulevard .
After resting his left elbow on his folded knee , he moved to stand up .
“ We stand together , ” he told the crowd .
They all stood .
Protester Nathaniel Johnson , 30 , of Hollywood , said the Police Department ’ s commitment to kneeling with demonstrators would have to be borne out with change .
He wondered : “ They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they kneeling on us later ?
” Sean Welch , who attended the West Hollywood protest , had scrawled “ dying breed ” on his white T-shirt with black and red Sharpie .
As a black man in America , he said , that ’ s what he was .
“ Cops have been killing us for years , ” Welch said .
“ What makes them believe it ’ s OK ?
” Behind him , a crew of men worked to board up the exterior and doors of a CB2 furniture @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the weekend , boarding up parts of the Beverly Center , a Trader Joe ’ s and a MedMen marijuana dispensary .
Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said Monday that 700 people had been arrested Sunday during mass protests .
About 10 % of those arrests were connected to burglary or looting , he said .
Across Southern California , more than 1,200 arrests had been made , a number that would surely rise significantly by Tuesday morning .
“ We didn ’ t have protests last night — we had criminal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ news conference with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti .
“ We didn ’ t have people mourning the death of this man , George Floyd — we had people capitalizing .
His death is on their hands as much as it is those officers.
” Moore apologized minutes later , saying he “ misspoke when I said his blood is on their hands ” and that he regretted “ that characterization.
” “ But I don ’ t regret , nor will I apologize , to those who are out there today committing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ creating this destruction , ” Moore said .
“ His memory deserves reform .
His memory deserves a better Los Angeles , a better United States and a better world.
” California ’ s new policy that eliminates bail for most misdemeanor arrests — an attempt to limit the spread of COVID-19 in jails — does not apply to looters , L.A. County Dist .
Atty .
Jackie Lacey said .
She urged victims to preserve video clips of crimes .
“ If you are a victim of a crime , if your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , please do not erase any videotapes , ” she said .
“ We need that .
In court , we ’ ll be able to use that ... to get justice for you.
” Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia blamed looting and nearly 100 small fires in his city on organized criminals unaffiliated with peaceful protests .
“ It ’ s pretty clear given the type of activity and how organized the activity was , there is a strategy going city to city and doing this criminal work , ” Garcia said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said , was unacceptable .
Gov .
Gavin Newsom implored Californians to show empathy to one another in his first news conference since before he , marking the third time in more than half a century that troops have responded to unrest in the city over violence against a black person in police custody .
“ You ’ ve lost patience .
So have I .
You are right to feel wronged .
You are right to feel the way you are feeling , ” Newsom said to protesters , adding : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be better , and to do better.
” Times staff writers Matt Ormseth , Laura J. Nelson , Gustavo Arrellano , Seema Mehta , Taryn Luna , Luke Money and Anita Chabria contributed to this report .

Matt Hamilton, Jaclyn Cosgrove, Alene Tchekmedyian, Julia Wick

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)
Demonstrators take a knee during protests in Hollywood on Tuesday. (Francine Orr/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)
Protesters sit in front of National Guardsmen closing Sunset Blvd at Vine Street in Hollywood. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
Jayse Garcia, 27, of Los Angeles takes part in a demonstration in Hollywood. (Francine Orr/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)
A couple promote peace on Highland Ave. in Hollywood as protesters continue to demonstrate. (Wally Skalij/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)
Miles Miles, 8, left, and Memphis Miley, 6, center, of Newport Beach, join protest against racism in Newport Beach. (Allen J. Schaben/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)
Thousands of protesters gather at the Los Angeles Civic Center. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
Thousands of protesters gather at the Los Angeles Civic Center. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Thousands of protesters gather at the Los Angeles Civic Center. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Protesters dance on Spring Street in downtown Los Angeles as a march attracted thousands of people. (Luis Sinco / 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)
Allison Bracy of Fontana hugs daughter Brielle Bracy, 10, while attending a rally in Riverside on Thursday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
A man lays a rose at the Hall of Justice in downtown Los Angeles. (Jay L. Clendenin / 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)
Tempers flare between Black Lives Matter demonstratiors and pro-Trump counterprotesters in Huntington Beach on Saturday. (Luis Sinco/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 Black Lives Matter protester blows bubbles by a police line in Huntington Beach on Saturday. (Luis Sinco/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)
In a dramatic display of outrage over police brutality and the death of George Floyd, thousands converged across Southern California for peaceful protests that began in the morning and continued into the night.
Marchers streamed through Hollywood, downtown Los Angeles and outside Mayor Eric Garcetti’s home.
A citywide curfew that began at 6 p.m. Tuesday is in effect until 6 a.m. Wednesday. By 7:30 p.m., police were beginning to arrest downtown protesters who refused to leave.
In Larchmont at around 8:30 p.m., 40 or so people entered an apartment complex on the 400 block of Van Ness Avenue and went to the roof in order to avoid arrest. The complex was surrounded by helicopters and police ordering the presumed demonstrators to get down.
Helicopter footage showed the demonstrators laying down on the roof, forming the letters BLM
— Black Lives Matter — with their bodies.
Around the same time in Koreatown, police detained more than 40 people near West 8th Street & South Crenshaw Boulevard. The protesters chanted “peaceful protest” intermittently and for the most part, calmly complied with police as they were cuffed with plastic bands and escorted to a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department bus.
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The effort to keep people at home comes after the Los Angeles Police Department’s Hollywood Division made more arrests Monday than on any single day in history in response to protests that devolved into a series of looting incidents, mostly in Van Nuys and Hollywood.
Officers took at least 585 people into custody Monday. Most arrests were for curfew violations, but officers detained 20 people on suspicion of looting and impounded 50 vehicles, a law enforcement source told The Times on Tuesday.
Authorities arrested about 2,500 people 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.
“Each day has seen the continuation of peaceful protests, but we have seen instances of burglaries and looting of businesses in various parts of the city,” Moore said. “For the first time in decades, every sworn member of the Los Angeles Police Department is working. Days off have been canceled.”
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.
Even still, Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia blamed looting and nearly 100 small fires in his city on organized criminals unaffiliated with peaceful protests.
“It’s pretty clear, given the type of activity and how organized the activity was, there is a strategy going city to city and doing this criminal work,” Garcia said this week. The damage to small business owners, he said, was unacceptable.
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Speaking Tuesday evening, Garcetti said he has directed LAPD to minimize their use of rubber bullets during interactions with peaceful protesters.
“I think that we’ve seen less of any of those tactics, and I hope that we can see the most minimal, if not zero, of those tactics,” said Garcetti, who earlier in the day took a knee with protesters outside City Hall.
Garcetti took the extreme step of asking for the National Guard to be brought to Los Angeles, evoking for many in this city the bloody memories of the 1992 riots sparked after the police officers’ acquittal in the beating of Rodney King.
Garcetti said that about 1,000 guardsmen were on the streets as of Tuesday night.
Earlier in the evening, more than 1,000 people gathered outside Garcetti’s residence in Windsor Square, chanting “defund police!” as an LAPD helicopter circled overhead. About half the crowd left as the clock struck 6 p.m.
To Whitney Peterson, 35, of Los Angeles, the chant was not a call for abolishing law enforcement but limiting it and steering resources elsewhere.
“When ... people are getting killed by police, and yet we have schools and lower-income communities struggling, it’s hard to swallow,” she said of public spending for police. “These communities are not being protected, and that needs to change.”
An independent autopsy commissioned by Floyd’s family this week found he died of asphyxiation caused by neck and back compression after a Minneapolis police officer pinned him to the ground with a knee on the handcuffed man’s neck for several minutes.
Hundreds of protesters gathered at Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street late Tuesday morning to express their dismay over recent and historic oppression. After a few minutes, the group began walking through the streets of Hollywood, where they approached a line of several dozen officers holding batons. The officers blocked the crowd’s advance.
“Let us walk,” the crowd yelled. Chants of “I can’t breathe” and “No justice, no peace” echoed throughout.
Aijshia Moody, 30, was among the crowd, holding a cardboard sign that read, “Am I next?” Her brother is 14 years old and has often dealt with racial profiling in Pacoima where they live, 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.”
Walking alongside the crush of protesters, community organizer Pete White briefly stopped in front of a Chase bank branch to snap a photo of a scrawled message: “Chase yo dreams.” Nearby, Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright” and N.W.A’s “F— tha Police” blasted from a speaker.
“State violence brings me out here today,” said White, who turned 49 on Tuesday.
“We see the signs that say ‘Justice for George Floyd,’ but also, when you see the kaleidoscope of faces, it’s justice for immigrants, it’s justice in thinking that housing is a human right,” said White, a South L.A. resident and founder of the Los Angeles Community Action Network.
There is no peace 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.”
California What time are the curfews in and around L.A. tonight? Los Angeles County officials imposed a countywide curfew for the third consecutive day Tuesday, citing a desire to protect public safety amid ongoing protests. Some cities implemented even stricter limits.
In addition to the countywide curfew, three cities in L.A. County have opted to extend their own curfews through at least Wednesday morning.
Beverly Hills will be under curfew from 1 p.m. Tuesday till 5:30 a.m. Wednesday. Police will be “actively patrolling” the city, including residential areas, officials said.
In Torrance, officials imposed a curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily for as long as L.A. County is under a state of emergency. Los Angeles city officials and Gov. Gavin Newsom declared the emergency shortly before midnight Sunday after protests in the Fairfax district turned violent and widespread looting erupted.
And in Santa Monica, where several businesses were vandalized and looted Sunday, a curfew went into effect at 2 p.m. Tuesday and will last till 5:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Santa Monica police made 41 arrests Monday after taking 438 people into custody Sunday. The city also recorded 347 damage reports, including 84 for graffiti, with the majority affecting retail businesses. More than 150 buildings sustained significant damage, city officials said Tuesday.
“If you were out around our city Monday morning, as I was, you know our streets were full of residents with brooms and sweepers. Volunteers cleaned graffiti off walls. The resilient spirit of our city was evident everywhere. Even after the shocking events of Sunday, it is again great to be a Santa Monican,” Mayor Kevin McKeown said.
Under the curfews, people are prohibited from being on streets and sidewalks or in parks and other public spaces. The restrictions do not apply to law enforcement, first responders, people traveling to and from work, or individuals seeking medical care. Although the county curfew applies to all cities and unincorporated areas, individual cities can impose stricter limits.
After peaceful protests across the region, tensions escalated in Hollywood and Van Nuys on Monday evening, when numerous stores were looted.
1 / 81 Protesters stand on top of a burned LAPD cruiser. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 81 Protesters stand on top of a bus stop at the Los Angeles Civic Center to demonstrate for justice Wednesday night. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times) 3 / 81 Protestors turn on their cell phone flashlights at Los Angeles City Hall at 9 pm on Wednesday as part of a silent protest against the death of George Floyd. (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times) 4 / 81 A protester confronts National Guardsmen as thousands of protesters march down Spring Street in Los Angeles to demonstrate for justice in the George Floyd murder by cop case Wednesday. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times) 5 / 81 Protesters dance on Spring Street in downtown Los Angeles Wednesday night. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times) 6 / 81 Thousands of protesters march down Spring Street in Los Angeles Wednesday night to demonstrate for justice in the killing of George Floyd. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times) 7 / 81 LAPD Cmdr. Gerald Woodyard takes a knee with protesters and L.A. clergy during a march in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times) 8 / 81 Khalil Mitchell speaks to protesters kneeling near a police line, preaching calm and working to preserve a peaceful protest on Monday. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times) 9 / 81 In Hollywood, hundreds of protesters march Monday against police brutality. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 81 AJ Lovelace, a director and writer, and others keep potential looters from entering a dry cleaning store as they attempt to march peacefully. “We need peace and we need someone to talk to each other,” he said after the looters fled the scene. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times) 11 / 81 Demonstrators in Riverside retreat as county sheriff’s deputies fire nonlethal rounds on Monday after law enforcement announced an unlawful assembly. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 81 Protesters in Riverside. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 81 An arrest in Hollywood during a protest Monday. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 81 A demonstrator, injured while trying to flee the firing of nonlethal rounds, lies on the ground in Riverside. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 81 An LAPD officer arrests a looting suspect in an alley behind a Hollywood Boulevard store. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 81 Riverside County deputies advance on demonstrators on Monday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 81 Fireworks thrown by a protester explode at the feet of Riverside police. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 18 / 81 Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco takes a knee with demonstrators. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 19 / 81 A watch and jewelry store is looted in Van Nuys on Monday. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 20 / 81 A looting arrest in Van Nuys. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 81 AJ Lovelace, director and writer, tries to stop looters from breaking into a Walgreens in Hollywood. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 22 / 81 An LAPD officer arrests a suspected looter in an alley behind a Hollywood Boulevard store. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 23 / 81 Police advance on a line of protesters in Hollywood, firing rubber bullets. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 24 / 81 Arrests are made of those out after curfew in Hollywood. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 25 / 81 Protesters in Hollywood. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 26 / 81 A store is looted in Hollywood. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 27 / 81 Protesters in Hollywood. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 28 / 81 People out after curfew are arrested Monday at Sunset Boulevard and Gower Street. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 29 / 81 Arrests in Hollywood. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 30 / 81 Protests in Westwood. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 31 / 81 Volunteers help clean up the mess left by looters in Long Beach. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 32 / 81 Protest in Hollywood. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 33 / 81 National Guardsmen outside Santa Monica Place. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 34 / 81 Gilbert Haro and sons Richard, 8, and James, 6, help clean up in Santa Monica. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 35 / 81 Protesters face off with police in Santa Monica on Sunday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 36 / 81 Santa Monica stores were the target of looting on Sunday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 37 / 81 Suspected looters in custody in Santa Monica on Sunday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 38 / 81 L.A. County sheriff’s deputies in Santa Monica on Sunday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 39 / 81 Sake House employee Jared Settles can’t bear to watch as the restaurant burns in Santa Monica on Sunday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 40 / 81 An arrest in Santa Monica on Sunday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 41 / 81 Broken glass from a looted store covers the sidewalk in Santa Monica. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 42 / 81 Cecelia Rosales, who said she was homeless, walks past a line of police officers in Santa Monica on Sunday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 43 / 81 A man guards a convenience store in Santa Monica. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 44 / 81 Looting erupted Sunday in Long Beach. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 45 / 81 Police and protesters face off in Santa Monica on Sunday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 46 / 81 A police officer inspects the damage to a Santa Monica supermarket. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 47 / 81 A protester is treated after being struck by a rubber bullet. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 48 / 81 Looting in Long Beach on Sunday. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 49 / 81 Looting in Long Beach. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 50 / 81 A suspected looter in Long Beach. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 51 / 81 Smashing windows in Santa Monica. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 52 / 81 An arrest in Santa Monica on Sunday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 53 / 81 People walk away with surfboards in Santa Monica on Sunday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 54 / 81 People rush out of a looted store in Santa Monica. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 55 / 81 Protesters in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times) 56 / 81 Cheers for protesters in downtown Los Angeles. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times) 57 / 81 City Hall on Sunday. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times) 58 / 81 A shattered storefront on Melrose Avenue on Sunday. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times) 59 / 81 Smashed windows on La Cienega Boulevard. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times) 60 / 81 Downtown L.A. on Sunday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 61 / 81 People carry merchandise from a looted store. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 62 / 81 A person carries items from a looted store in the Fairfax District on Saturday. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 63 / 81 A couple of protesters embrace on Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles Saturday. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times) 64 / 81 People protest Saturday at Pan Pacific Park. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times) 65 / 81 Protesters gather around a fire in the middle of a downtown L.A. street on Friday. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 66 / 81 Police fire percussion rounds to clear protesters from Grand Avenue in in downtown Los Angeles on Friday. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 67 / 81 A protester remains defiant after being pushed to the ground by police on Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles on Friday. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 68 / 81 Protesters are arrested by Los Angeles police in front of City Hall on Saturday. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 69 / 81 Protesters block the 110 Freeway. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 70 / 81 Protesters take to the streets Friday in downtown L.A. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 71 / 81 Protesters are escorted off the northbound 110 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 72 / 81 A protester is escorted off the northbound 110 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 73 / 81 Protesters climb over a barrier during the May 29 protest in downtown L.A. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 74 / 81 Protesters block the 110 Freeway northbound and southbound in downtown Los Angeles. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 75 / 81 Police officers assume a defensive stance as a protester approaches them on the 110 Freeway on May 29. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 76 / 81 During a May 29 protest, Los Angeles police patrol the 110 after having moved protesters off the freeway. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 77 / 81 A protester rides a skateboard on the 110 Freeway. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 78 / 81 Protesters block the 110 Freeway northbound and southbound in downtown Los Angeles. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 79 / 81 A protester confronts LAPD officers on Friday in downtown L.A. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 80 / 81 A protester lies hurt on the 101 Freeway near downtown Los Angeles on May 27. (Gabriella Angotti-Jones / Los Angeles Times) 81 / 81 An injured man gets up with the help of emergency workers during a protest May 27 in downtown L.A. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
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.
National Guard troops take a knee with protesters on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. pic.twitter.com/dwxjrYww9g — Dorany Pineda (@DoranyPineda90) June 2, 2020
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 Avenue.
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.
A segment of the protest hit a snag later Tuesday afternoon as part of the crowd that had gathered near Ivar Avenue and Hollywood Boulevard surrounded police.
The confrontation came 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.
“We don’t need a confrontation,” one officer later said into megaphone. “Leave the area.”
“Get out of the street, you can continue with your peaceful protest,” he continued.
Another officer, who declined to give his name, acknowledged that the protest had mostly been peaceful.
“Just a few people who ruin it for everybody else,” he said.
Heaven Bouldin had been demonstrating for several hours as the curfew neared.
At 25, she said, she has been protesting for 10 years.
“I’m tired, I’m tired, I’m tired,” she said, holding a sign that read, “Stop killing black people.”
“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,” she said. “Somebody has to do something.”
On North Cahuenga Boulevard in Hollywood, police were standing in a line blocking the road as a crowd chanted and screamed at them. One woman shouted: “All of you ... are found guilty. You violent criminals. All of this because y’all don’t want to stop killing black people. You treacherous snakes!”
One officer approached the protesters to announce through a megaphone that they were standing in a line to protect businesses that had been looted.
“We understand why you’re here,” the officer said before assuming his position in the line again.
When the crowd began chanting, “Take a knee! Take a knee!” at the officers, the woman screamed, “We will not take a knee!” and charged toward officers, the yellow caution tape stopping her. “Back up, sis!” A young woman told her.
The woman explained, emotionally, why they should not ask the officers for a knee.
“I’ve been doing this longer than you’ve been alive,” she said. “Y’all are stupid.... They already took a knee ... and they took a life. This don’t look like that to you?” she said, taking a knee herself and raising her fist in the air. “Y’all are ... ignorant. This ain’t a time to take a knee.”
The crowd stopped the chant and started a new one: “Say his name! George Floyd!”
Times staff writers Richard Winton, James Queally, Matthew Ormseth, Laura J. Nelson, Gustavo Arellano, Seema Mehta, Taryn Luna, Luke Money, Alene Tchekmedyian, Julia Wick, Jaclyn Cosgrove, Benjamin Oreskes and Anita Chabria contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-06-02--Los Angeles police shoot, wound person in Adams-Normandie neighborhood

Los Angeles police shot a person , not fatally , in the Adams-Normandie neighborhood on Monday night , a department spokesman said .
The shooting occurred shortly before 9:30 p.m. , near the intersection of Vermont Avenue and 22nd Street , just south of the 10 Freeway , LAPD Officer Mike Lopez said .
The victim was taken to a hospital and was listed in stable condition as of 10 p.m. , Lopez said .
Officers took three people into custody at the scene .
Lopez could not immediately say for what suspected offenses they had been detained .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said a public information officer was en route to the scene .
The shooting occurred against a fraught backdrop : For the past week , demonstrators have rallied throughout Los Angeles to protest the death of George Floyd , a black man who was pinned to the ground by a white Minneapolis policeman , and they have at times clashed with the LAPD .
Looters have ransacked businesses in several city districts , prompting both the city and the county to impose a curfew .
By 9 p.m. Monday , LAPD officers were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who had flouted the order .
At the Pavilions supermarket on Melrose and Vine , whose front doors were smashed , dozens of LAPD officers were on the scene to detain suspected looters .
At least half a dozen people were arrested , but only one on suspicion of looting , according to police on the scene .
The rest were held for suspected curfew violations .
All of them were hauled away in a Metro bus that had been converted into a transport vehicle .

An investigation is underway following an officer-involved shooting that occurred shortly before 9:30 p.m. Monday night, June 1, 2020, near the intersection of Vermont Avenue and 22nd Street, just south of the 10 Freeway.
Los Angeles police shot a person, not fatally, in the Adams-Normandie neighborhood on Monday night, a department spokesman said.
The shooting occurred shortly before 9:30 p.m., near the intersection of Vermont Avenue and 22nd Street, just south of the 10 Freeway, LAPD Officer Mike Lopez said.
The victim was taken to a hospital and was listed in stable condition as of 10 p.m., Lopez said.
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Officers took three people into custody at the scene. Lopez could not immediately say for what suspected offenses they had been detained. He cautioned that these facts are preliminary and said a public information officer was en route to the scene.
The shooting occurred against a fraught backdrop: For the past week, demonstrators have rallied throughout Los Angeles to protest the death of George Floyd, a black man who was pinned to the ground by a white Minneapolis policeman, and they have at times clashed with the LAPD.
Looters have ransacked businesses in several city districts, prompting both the city and the county to impose a curfew. By 9 p.m. Monday, LAPD officers were rounding up and arresting people in Hollywood who had flouted the order.
At the Pavilions supermarket on Melrose and Vine, whose front doors were smashed, dozens of LAPD officers were on the scene to detain suspected looters. At least half a dozen people were arrested, but only one on suspicion of looting, according to police on the scene. The rest were held for suspected curfew violations. All of them were hauled away in a Metro bus that had been converted into a transport vehicle.
Times staff writer Matt Hamilton contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-06-02--George Floyd protesters tell San Francisco mayor and police chief they want 'consequences and reperc

George Floyd protesters tell San Francisco mayor and police chief they want 'consequences and repercussions'

Hundreds of protesters gathered Monday on front of the steps of San Francisco City Hall , demanding “ consequences and repercussions ” for the police who killed George Floyd .
The protest , organized by a group that fights for local victims of police shootings called Wealth and Disparities in the Black Community , was unlike the grass-roots marches that took over the city ’ s streets on Saturday and Sunday , during which residents joined together to demand justice for Floyd .
Flanked by images of Sandra Bland , Tamir Rice , Trayvon Martin and Floyd , along with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Justice Denied , ” San Francisco Mayor London Breed and the Police Chief William Scott joined organizers to address protesters and pledged to change the way black people are treated by the police in the city .
“ I ’ m the mayor but I ’ m a black woman first , ” Breed said .
“ I am angry .
I am hurt .
I am frustrated .
I am sick and tired of being sick and tired .
I don ’ t want one more black man to die at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s what this movement is about .
Not one more.
” Breed ’ s speech comes just a day after she set an 8 p.m. curfew for the city in response to looting that took place after a peaceful protest Saturday .
The curfew remains in effect .
There are people “ who are using these movement as a way to push violence , to go after other black people to push us down , ” Breed said .
“ We will not tolerate that .
Don ’ t get it twisted.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the Rev .
Amos Brown , president of the San Francisco chapter of the NAACP — applauded Breed and joined her in calling for peaceful protests .
“ I did not want this protest ” to end in violence , Jones said .
“ We are here to mourn , we are here to listen to music — because music soothes our soul — and to let you know social justice is real.
” But some of those who spoke alongside Jones and Breed said peaceful protests alone aren ’ t always @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shows us that there can be nonviolent protest but there has to be people in the streets , ” civil rights attorney Adante Pointer said .
“ Whether you ’ re looking at the Boston Tea Party , you ’ re looking at Harpers Ferry , there were clashes that took place that sparked the change , the revolution , the progression of this country , ” Pointer told The Times .
“ For us to ignore that is not to be honest with ourselves as it relates to what it takes to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those who will do everything they can to keep it from us.
” After several speakers led the crowd in chants for “ consequences and repercussions ” for police officers and “ Black Lives Matter , ” Jones introduced Chief Scott and asked the crowd to treat him with respect .
“ As your police chief , we know that too many black men are being killed at the hands of police , ” Scott said .
“ When I pull off this uniform , I am a black man.
” His words @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from some protesters .
One called London a joke .
Organizers began chanting “ peace ” to quiet the shouts .
Soon after , a woman named Kia Hapoy began questioning Scott .
“ I understand you ’ re a black man , but as the chief of police what are you going to do to make a difference ?
” Hapoy yelled .
“ The San Francisco Police Department is not a perfect department , we have our faults , ” Scott responded .
“ But I ’ ll tell you this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That ’ s why I was brought here and that ’ s what I came here to do… .
There are many other people in the Police Department that are committed to change.
” Hapoy , a Sacramento resident , told The Times his response wasn ’ t enough : She wants to see action and have the department commit to a zero tolerance policy for racism .
“ You ’ re a black man in a police uniform in a high-ranking place , ” Hapoy said .
“ You ’ re in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Other speakers also called for action , both from regulators and from those who showed up to protest .
“ I ’ m tired of the same mantra and the same narrative , ” county Supervisor Shamann Walton said .
“ So unless we begin to prosecute and incarcerate law enforcement for killing innocent black lives , we will continue to rise up.
” After leading the crowd in a kneel-in in honor of Floyd , actor Jamie Foxx called on his friends and other celebrities to take action .
“ What I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , you ’ ve got to get out here , ” Foxx said .
“ You ’ ve got to come out here , you can ’ t sit back , you can ’ t tweet , you can ’ t text , you ’ ve got to get out here.
” “ When you ’ re here and you see how people are hurting , you can understand , ” he said .

Hundreds of protesters gathered Monday on front of the steps of San Francisco City Hall, demanding “consequences and repercussions” for the police who killed George Floyd.
The protest, organized by a group that fights for local victims of police shootings called Wealth and Disparities in the Black Community, was unlike the grass-roots marches that took over the city’s streets on Saturday and Sunday, during which residents joined together to demand justice for Floyd.
Flanked by images of Sandra Bland, Tamir Rice, Trayvon Martin and Floyd, along with signs that read “Justice Delayed Is Justice Denied,” San Francisco Mayor London Breed and the Police Chief William Scott joined organizers to address protesters and pledged to change the way black people are treated by the police in the city.
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“I’m the mayor but I’m a black woman first,” Breed said. “I am angry. I am hurt. I am frustrated. I am sick and tired of being sick and tired. I don’t want one more black man to die at the hands of law enforcement. That’s what this movement is about. Not one more.”
Breed’s speech comes just a day after she set an 8 p.m. curfew for the city in response to looting that took place after a peaceful protest Saturday. The curfew remains in effect.
There are people “who are using these movement as a way to push violence, to go after other black people to push us down,” Breed said. “We will not tolerate that. Don’t get it twisted.”
The organizers — including social activist Felicia Jones and the Rev. Amos Brown, president of the San Francisco chapter of the NAACP — applauded Breed and joined her in calling for peaceful protests.
“I did not want this protest” to end in violence, Jones said. “We are here to mourn, we are here to listen to music — because music soothes our soul — and to let you know social justice is real.”
But some of those who spoke alongside Jones and Breed said peaceful protests alone aren’t always effective in creating change.
“History shows us that there can be nonviolent protest but there has to be people in the streets,” civil rights attorney Adante Pointer said.
“Whether you’re looking at the Boston Tea Party, you’re looking at Harpers Ferry, there were clashes that took place that sparked the change, the revolution, the progression of this country,” Pointer told The Times. “For us to ignore that is not to be honest with ourselves as it relates to what it takes to wrestle inequality, justice and power from those who will do everything they can to keep it from us.”
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After several speakers led the crowd in chants for “consequences and repercussions” for police officers and “Black Lives Matter,” Jones introduced Chief Scott and asked the crowd to treat him with respect.
“As your police chief, we know that too many black men are being killed at the hands of police,” Scott said. “When I pull off this uniform, I am a black man.”
His words were met with scattered applause and jeers from some protesters. One called London a joke.
Organizers began chanting “peace” to quiet the shouts. Soon after, a woman named Kia Hapoy began questioning Scott. “I understand you’re a black man, but as the chief of police what are you going to do to make a difference?” Hapoy yelled.
“The San Francisco Police Department is not a perfect department, we have our faults,” Scott responded. “But I’ll tell you this, we are committed to change. That’s why I was brought here and that’s what I came here to do…. There are many other people in the Police Department that are committed to change.”
Hapoy, a Sacramento resident, told The Times his response wasn’t enough: She wants to see action and have the department commit to a zero tolerance policy for racism. “You’re a black man in a police uniform in a high-ranking place,” Hapoy said. “You’re in a perfect position to do something.”
Other speakers also called for action, both from regulators and from those who showed up to protest.
“I’m tired of the same mantra and the same narrative,” county Supervisor Shamann Walton said. “So unless we begin to prosecute and incarcerate law enforcement for killing innocent black lives, we will continue to rise up.”
After leading the crowd in a kneel-in in honor of Floyd, actor Jamie Foxx called on his friends and other celebrities to take action.
“What I want to say about my Hollywood friends, you’ve got to get out here,” Foxx said. “You’ve got to come out here, you can’t sit back, you can’t tweet, you can’t text, you’ve got to get out here.”
“When you’re here and you see how people are hurting, you can understand,” he said.


latimes--2020-06-02--Demonstrators fill downtown Riverside: 'I don't know if I'm next'

Thousands of protesters gathered Monday afternoon in downtown Riverside to call for justice for the death of George Floyd and others killed by police .
Mothers stood alongside daughters , young people danced , and students handed out water bottles and masks .
Fazein Kennon , 16 , came to the march with 10 members of his family — his father , uncle , aunt and cousins .
“ My family and I are tired of this , and this is one way to stand up , by peacefully protesting , ” he said .
Christiana Ellis , 15 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 51 , came to the protest together .
Morton carried a sign that said : “ There comes a time when silence is betrayal.
” Her daughter said Morton constantly worries about her safety and that of her family .
“ I don ’ t want to see another black face on the news .
I don ’ t know if I ’ m next , ” Ellis said .
“ I wonder , what if my dad is out driving to get groceries , and he gets pulled over for a speeding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
” Toni Moore and her daughter , Sorrelle Ellis , feared the worst was yet to come .
Moore has operated a clothing store in downtown Riverside since 1982 that had become a staple for the community .
She thought they had survived the worst blow to their business during the COVID-19 stay-at-home orders but was more afraid of the uncertainty that would come from the planned protest in Riverside .
She and her daughter drove to the store to board up the front door and remove merchandise , planning to stay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being harmed .
“ After all these years , you become a part of the community , and you serve the community , ” Moore said .
“ This all is unsettling .
I ’ ve been there for a long time and have weathered many storms , but between COVID and this , I feel things are so out of control , I just don ’ t know if we ’ ll make it .
Everybody is praying for survival through this , only to have something like this threaten you right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the protest began , many downtown businesses had boarded up their windows .
Some painted or posted messages in support of protesters .
“ Mexican owned , we stand with you , ” one said .
The sign on the boarded-up window of an Italian restaurant read : “ The best activism is equal parts anger and love.
” When the 6 p.m. curfew went into effect , the majority of protesters left , but around 200 remained .
Police declared an unlawful assembly and began to disperse the protesters using tear gas @ @ @ @

Protesters stand arm in arm after marching to the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco takes a knee with protesters who had marched to the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Protesters take cover as Riverside County deputies open fire with rubber bullets after declaring an unlawful assembly Monday in Riverside. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
A protester screams in pain as others administer first aid after he was struck by a rubber bullet fired by Riverside County deputies on Monday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Thousands of protesters gathered Monday afternoon in downtown Riverside to call for justice for the death of George Floyd and others killed by police.
Mothers stood alongside daughters, young people danced, and students handed out water bottles and masks.
Fazein Kennon, 16, came to the march with 10 members of his family — his father, uncle, aunt and cousins.
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“My family and I are tired of this, and this is one way to stand up, by peacefully protesting,” he said.
Christiana Ellis, 15, and her mother, Sherry Morton, 51, came to the protest together. Morton carried a sign that said: “There comes a time when silence is betrayal.” Her daughter said Morton constantly worries about her safety and that of her family.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco takes a knee with demonstrators after thousands of protesters marched to the Robert Presley Detention Center. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
“I don’t want to see another black face on the news. I don’t know if I’m next,” Ellis said. “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?”
Toni Moore and her daughter, Sorrelle Ellis, feared the worst was yet to come.
Moore has operated a clothing store in downtown Riverside since 1982 that had become a staple for the community. She thought they had survived the worst blow to their business during the COVID-19 stay-at-home orders but was more afraid of the uncertainty that would come from the planned protest in Riverside.
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She and her daughter drove to the store to board up the front door and remove merchandise, planning to stay until nightfall to protect the business from being harmed.
“After all these years, you become a part of the community, and you serve the community,” Moore said. “This all is unsettling. I’ve been there for a long time and have weathered many storms, but between COVID and this, I feel things are so out of control, I just don’t know if we’ll make it. Everybody is praying for survival through this, only to have something like this threaten you right on the heels of that.”
Before the protest began, many downtown businesses had boarded up their windows. Some painted or posted messages in support of protesters.
“Mexican owned, we stand with you,” one said. The sign on the boarded-up window of an Italian restaurant read: “The best activism is equal parts anger and love.”
When the 6 p.m. curfew went into effect, the majority of protesters left, but around 200 remained. Police declared an unlawful assembly and began to disperse the protesters using tear gas and rubber bullets.


latimes--2020-06-01--A peaceful protest, then looting, on Van Nuys Boulevard

Peaceful protesters spent hours in Van Nuys demonstrating against the death in police hands of George Floyd , but that scene was marred by looting that occurred nearby .
From 7:30 a.m. into the afternoon , a large group of protesters peacefully demonstrated at Van Nuys Boulevard and Sylvan Street , chanting Floyd ’ s name and asking for justice .
Several protesters said they didn ’ t want looters around .
The majority of the protesters who spent the day at the intersection left just before L.A. County ’ s 5 p.m. curfew .
Some remained and were prepared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Highway Patrol and Los Angeles Police Department officers stood side by side along Van Nuys Boulevard , some holding different types of nonlethal force , including bean bag launchers .
Eva Bandikian , the manager at Kovac ’ s Care Pharmacy , said looters broke the lock on the business and stole “ everything , ” including cash , the register , medicine and vitamins .
Bandikian watched from the store ’ s surveillance camera on a feed on her phone as about 10 young people stormed into the pharmacy .
“ It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with us , ” she said .
“ They ’ re angry with the police and with the government.
” About two hours after the break-in , one of the looters walked back by the pharmacy , turned around and laughed , carrying a bag of stolen goods .

Peaceful protesters spent hours in Van Nuys demonstrating against the death in police hands of George Floyd, but that scene was marred by looting that occurred nearby.
From 7:30 a.m. into the afternoon, a large group of protesters peacefully demonstrated at Van Nuys Boulevard and Sylvan Street, chanting Floyd’s name and asking for justice. Several protesters said they didn’t want looters around.
The majority of the protesters who spent the day at the intersection left just before L.A. County’s 5 p.m. curfew. Some remained and were prepared to be arrested.
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Dozens of California Highway Patrol and Los Angeles Police Department officers stood side by side along Van Nuys Boulevard, some holding different types of nonlethal force, including bean bag launchers.
Eva Bandikian, the manager at Kovac’s Care Pharmacy, said looters broke the lock on the business and stole “everything,” including cash, the register, medicine and vitamins.
Bandikian watched from the store’s surveillance camera on a feed on her phone as about 10 young people stormed into the pharmacy.
“It doesn’t have anything to do with us,” she said. “They’re angry with the police and with the government.”
About two hours after the break-in, one of the looters walked back by the pharmacy, turned around and laughed, carrying a bag of stolen goods.
KTTV-TV Channel 11 broadcast live an incident in which merchants defended their stores from looters, one carrying a gun. Police arrived and at first mistook the merchants for looters. Later, the poiice appeared to pull over a car and briefly detain a woman who didn’t appear to be involved.


latimes--2020-06-01--Viral Twitter video shows San Jose police officer barking at a protester, 'Shut up, bitch'

In a Twitter video that hit nearly 12 million views on Monday , San Jose Police Officer Jared Yuen is shown grinning and swaying from side to side .
In an apparent attempt to rouse fellow officers at a protest following the death in Minneapolis of George Floyd , he shouts , “ Let ’ s get this [ expletive ] .
” In the background , protesters note the officers ’ frivolous behavior .
“ This is funny to them .
They have smiles on their faces , ” one says .
Another post apparently captures the 33-year-old officer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up , bitch.
” Seconds later , his team charges into a crowd .
He is seen extending his projectile launcher and firing toward the protesters .
Yuen , a six-year officer at the San Jose Police Department , was put on leave Friday as a result of his comments and flippant conduct , according to the agency , and is under internal investigation , said Police Chief Eddie Garcia .
“ I ’ m not happy with his actions .
I ’ m sure if Jared was sitting here , he would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will tell you , I know Jared , and he is a good kid who made a mistake , who let his emotions get the better of him , ” Garcia said at a media briefing .
“ He ’ s put his life on the line for this police department on many an occasion .
And so we will take all of that into consideration .
He will have to live with the consequences of what he did.
” But Raj Jayadev , director of social justice organization Silicon Valley De-Bug , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Garcia acknowledged .
He says a police badge is practically a “ state license to kill.
” “ What you can ’ t see in the video is that there are hundreds of people right around him , and they ’ re mainly young people .
I ’ m talking about high-school-aged kids , ” he said .
“ Lives are literally at risk when you have an officer that is armed to the teeth and ready for a battle .
Simply waving it off as ‘ officers need to be in control @ @ @ @ @ @ @ little bit tone-deaf , ” he said .
Scores of Twitter users have likewise condemned the department for an inadequate response to Yuen ’ s comments .
Many called on the department to fire Yuen .
User @ Stephanieee_li criticized Garcia for calling “ a full grown 30 something year old ” officer a “ kid , ” claiming that an adult must be held responsible for his crooked behavior .
@ ManeAbdallah pressed the police department to “ Get this thug off our streets.
” User @ CaliCruz408 tweeted at the department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ misconduct .
“ Videos like this show the true nature of your men .
Pay close attention to the ones trying to de-escalate with their mannerisms and to the ones ENJOYING this … Your sociopaths show themselves.
” Garcia responded to the tweets with empathy but stressed that the investigation into Yeun is standard practice for any complaint in the department .
“ We ’ re angry as well , and we ’ ve made that clear .
We ’ ve allowed peaceful protest .
But we will not tolerate lawlessness.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , too , was dismayed by the videos .
He says an independent police auditor will fully review the circumstances .
“ I found the video of Officer Yuen ’ s statements particularly disturbing and his conduct in sharp contrast with what was otherwise overwhelmingly admirable professionalism in our department .
And in my view , that officer allowed his emotions to undermine his professional duty to the public , ” Liccardo said in a statement .
But for Jayadev , there ’ s no leeway for the department to employ an officer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thinks it ’ s appropriate for Yuen to be paid with our dollars to insult , interrogate and threaten community members , and then have the actual weaponry to act upon those threats , is not thinking , ” he said .
San Jose City Council members have joined the Twitter commentary as well .
For Councilman Lan Diep , Yuen ’ s remarks brought a national problem close to home .
“ As an Asian American I feel obligated to call out the poor judgment of Jared Yuen ... during the # @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ During a national debate about systemic racism and the role of police , his provocations are not helpful … This is a learning moment for all and I expect our SJPD to become an even better force for it.
” Raul Peralez , a City Council member and former reserve San Jose police officer , felt that the actions shown in the videos were inappropriate and humiliating .
“ As someone who has worn the same patch I was embarrassed .
This is exactly the kind of behavior we don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @

In a Twitter video that hit nearly 12 million views on Monday, San Jose Police Officer Jared Yuen is shown grinning and swaying from side to side. In an apparent attempt to rouse fellow officers at a protest following the death in Minneapolis of George Floyd, he shouts, “Let’s get this [expletive].”
In the background, protesters note the officers’ frivolous behavior. “This is funny to them. They have smiles on their faces,” one says.
Another post apparently captures the 33-year-old officer barking at a demonstrator, “Shut up, bitch.” Seconds later, his team charges into a crowd. He is seen extending his projectile launcher and firing toward the protesters.
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Yuen, a six-year officer at the San Jose Police Department, was put on leave Friday as a result of his comments and flippant conduct, according to the agency, and was under internal investigation, said Police Chief Eddie Garcia.
“I’m not happy with his actions. I’m sure if Jared was sitting here, he would be embarrassed as well. But I will tell you, I know Jared, and he is a good kid who made a mistake, who let his emotions get the better of him,” Garcia said at a media briefing. “He’s put his life on the line for this Police Department on many an occasion. And so we will take all of that into consideration. He will have to live with the consequences of what he did.”
But Raj Jayadev, director of social justice organization Silicon Valley De-Bug, said Yuen posed a greater risk than Garcia acknowledged. He says a police badge is practically a “state license to kill.”
“What you can’t see in the video is that there are hundreds of people right around him, and they’re mainly young people. I’m talking about high-school-aged kids,” he said. “Lives are literally at risk when you have an officer that is armed to the teeth and ready for a battle. Simply waving it off as ‘officers need to be in control of their emotions’ just seems a little bit tone-deaf,” he said.
Scores of Twitter users have likewise condemned the department for an inadequate response to Yuen’s comments. Many called on the department to fire Yuen.
User @Stephanieee_li criticized Garcia for calling “a full grown 30 something year old” officer a “kid,” saying an adult must be held responsible for his behavior. @ManeAbdallah pressed the police department to “Get this thug off our streets.”
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User @CaliCruz408 tweeted at the department to recognize the atrocity of the officers’ misconduct. “Videos like this show the true nature of your men. Pay close attention to the ones trying to de-escalate with their mannerisms and to the ones ENJOYING this … Your sociopaths show themselves.”
Garcia responded to the tweets with empathy but stressed that the investigation into Yeun was standard practice for any complaint in the department.
“We’re angry as well, and we’ve made that clear. We’ve allowed peaceful protest. But we will not tolerate lawlessness.”
San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo said he, too, was dismayed by the videos. He says an independent police auditor will fully review the circumstances.
“I found the video of Officer Yuen’s statements particularly disturbing and his conduct in sharp contrast with what was otherwise overwhelmingly admirable professionalism in our department. And in my view, that officer allowed his emotions to undermine his professional duty to the public,” Liccardo said in a statement.
But for Jayadev, there’s no leeway for the department to employ an officer with this demeanor.
“Anyone that thinks it’s appropriate for Yuen to be paid with our dollars to insult, interrogate and threaten community members, and then have the actual weaponry to act upon those threats, is not thinking,” he said.
San Jose City Council members have joined the Twitter commentary as well. For Councilman Lan Diep, Yuen’s remarks brought a national problem close to home.
“As an Asian American I feel obligated to call out the poor judgment of Jared Yuen ... during the #GeorgeFloyd protest,” he wrote. “During a national debate about systemic racism and the role of police, his provocations are not helpful. … This is a learning moment for all and I expect our SJPD to become an even better force for it.”
Raul Peralez, a City Council member and former reserve San Jose police officer, felt that the actions shown in the videos were inappropriate and humiliating.
“As someone who has worn the same patch I was embarrassed. This is exactly the kind of behavior we don’t need,” he tweeted.


latimes--2020-06-01--Column: Cities are being destroyed. California clearly isn't as enlightened about race as we think

When I opened the windows of my Westside L.A. apartment on Sunday afternoon , the last thing I expected was to get socked by the smell of whatever chemical agent had been deployed and drifted over from Santa Monica .
It seems as if all of California — long ago scarred by race riots and populated by people who pride themselves on having an evolved attitude toward race and justice — is raging or protesting .
Only a few blocks from the beach , people were busy shattering windows and looting stores in the idyllic downtown , lined with palm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a few blocks away on Ocean Avenue , the angry protesters who arrived after the peaceful protesters left were challenging police , throwing eggs and water bottles at them in the name of George Floyd , prompting the firing of rubber bullets and smoke grenades .
In Visalia , a man driving in a blue Jeep Wrangler sporting a “ Keep America Great ” flag drove through a crowd of protesters , hitting two women — a chilling reminder of what happened in Charlottesville , Va. Thankfully , the protesters suffered only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been out of control even for Oakland .
Hundreds of protesters set fires , and many threw rocks and Molotov cocktails at police .
They broke into banks and office buildings , along with small shops and restaurants , including several owned by black proprietors .
Mayor Libby Schaaf lamented that at a news conference Saturday : “ This horror was visited on this same community that we are trying to lift up.
” In La Mesa , anger over the police killing of Floyd in Minneapolis mixed with anger over the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who police say assaulted an officer at the Grossmont Transit Center .
A video of the man ’ s encounter with the white officer went viral last week and now activists want the officer to be held accountable .
“ I ’ m so tired of seeing young black men ’ s lives not meaning a thing in this country , ” Desmond Collins of La Mesa told the San Diego Union-Tribune on Saturday .
In Sacramento , a standoff that started at the Capitol shifted to the Main Jail , as protesters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ each other in brief but tense dust-ups .
One protester , according to the Sacramento Bee , brought along a banner calling out local District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert , who has repeatedly declined to charge officers involved in shootings of black men , including Stephon Clark .
Even in Chico , clear up there in the State of Jefferson , nearly 100 people were outside holding up signs on Saturday .
California likes to think of itself as enlightened about race .
We ’ re a majority minority state .
A nation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our diversity in all of its forms .
Sure , we ’ ve had riots over race and police brutality .
The last one , in 1992 , tore a chunk of Los Angeles apart , but we ’ ve learned from them .
We ’ ve grown .
Or so the story goes .
Today , we have police chiefs and district attorneys who are black , and sheriffs who are Latino .
We have a U.S. senator who is in the mix to become the first black vice president .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lesbian .
The leader of the state Assembly is Latino .
“ Auntie ” Maxine Waters , the unapologetically black congresswoman and original pain in Donald Trump ’ s you know what , is from here .
We have city councils and county boards of supervisors that overwhelmingly reflect the diversity of constituents .
Politicians deliver speeches in multiple languages .
Government documents are issued that way too .
We stand up for immigrants in California , a policy position adopted after the unmitigated racist disaster that was Proposition 187 .
We ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ times , often to ensure that people don ’ t have to live in the shadows because of their immigration status .
We have an enormous social safety net that has widespread support from taxpayers because we see it as our responsibility to care for the least among us , who , like everywhere else in the U.S. , tend to be disproportionately black and brown .
I moved to California five years ago — first to Sacramento and then to Los Angeles — seeing these things and only these things .
Since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the reality of this state , while far , far better than the Midwestern one that I left , is complicated — especially for black people who make up a mere 6 % of the state ’ s population .
That these violent uprisings and peaceful protests are happening in cities large and small , up and down the state speaks to something black people know well and many others , especially self-absorbed white liberals , often choose to ignore : California is not as enlightened about race as we would like to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a second that what you see in our streets is only about what happened to Floyd in Minneapolis .
These Californians are enraged about life in California , just like residents of Minnesota , Kentucky and every other state that has been blindsided by mass protests in recent days are enraged about their lives there .
And their lives in this country as a whole .
It ’ s about police brutality , yes .
It was only a few weeks ago that an LAPD officer was caught on video repeatedly punching a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Boyle Heights .
But that ’ s only part of it .
What ’ s really manifesting itself on the streets from San Francisco to Santa Monica is the absolute , incalculable rage about the race-based inequities that have been ignored for too long by officials at all levels of California government .
The coronavirus outbreak has made this plain .
A recent Times data analysis found that Californians who are younger than 50 are dying of COVID-19 in significantly greater numbers than white people .
In Los Angeles County alone , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that of white residents .
For Latinos , it ’ s 70 % higher .
It isn ’ t much better in San Francisco , where researchers tested 4,160 people for the coronavirus and found that though Latinos only made up 44 % of those tested , they accounted for 95 % of the positive cases .
One reason for the disparities has to do with unequal access to healthcare .
But perhaps a bigger reason is that we have an economy that has long been stacked in favor of the white and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the privilege of being able to work from home and complain about having to be on Zoom all day , many black and brown Californians had no choice but to put themselves at higher risk of COVID-19 by ringing up groceries , driving buses and delivering Grubhub orders as “ essential ” workers .
Or , people like Maria Teresa Figueroa , who had little choice but to keep working in the fields of McFarland , a small city surrounded by grapevines just north of Bakersfield .
She thought she had COVID-19 in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ off , losing wages as a result .
“ We are working from sunup to sun down to put food on people ’ s tables , ” she said .
Now Figueroa is on the verge of losing her housing because she can ’ t afford rent .
People of color are particularly vulnerable to the whims of the economy .
Nationally , blacks and Latinos have lost jobs at higher percentages than white people because of the coronavirus .
And even before the pandemic , both groups were overrepresented among California ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many factors , but namely systemic racism and abject poverty .
So as the economy tanks and the unemployment rate climbs to levels not seen since the Great Depression , we all know who will bear the brunt of it .
Again .
Think about that the next time you grouse about why looters descended on downtown Santa Monica and the Grove — symbols of extreme wealth in a state overrun with poverty .
At last count , there were 165 billionaires in California .
There are also more than 150,000 homeless people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been living in filthy encampments for years .
And now , with housing costs that have risen unchecked for years and the added economic disruption of the coronavirus , many more , mostly black and brown Californians are on the verge of suffering the same fate .
So is it really all that surprising that some people , angry and possibly in dire economic straits themselves , don ’ t care about causing damage and stealing from wealthy neighborhoods ?
In these dark times , what gives me hope is the same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the first place : A willingness to recognize and figure out how to do the right thing .
That is certainly more than I can say for the red state that I left .
At the time , Vice President Mike Pence was the governor of Indiana , and he had just ignited a national fervor by signing a law that allowed businesses to discriminate against the LGBT community on religious grounds .
It was about par for the course for him .
He spent his entire time in office figuring out how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ least more traumatic — for women to get an abortion , how to tie health insurance and food stamps to work requirements , how to let more people have guns without background checks and , of course , how to prevent same-sex couples from getting married .
I had built a life for myself in the blue island of Indianapolis .
Being a woman who is black , gay and liberal , I knew I had to leave .
So it meant something to me that , as news was breaking about the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gov .
Gavin Newsom tweeted : “ The racial inequities that exist in our society are evident all around us .
Just look at # COVID19 .
Communities of color are overwhelmingly impacted .
We must continue to work toward a more just , equitable future.
” On Monday , Newsom , visibly shaken and humbled after the tumultuous weekend , said black people have lost patience because we have heard promise after promise for decades , but haven ’ t seen progress .
And he ’ s right .
His words aren @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I know .
We need action .
As Newsom acknowledged , government institutions have a responsibility to prove that “ we ’ re capable of being more as a society.
” And in the weeks and months ahead , as I travel the state to tell people ’ s stories , I plan to hold him and other elected officials accountable to that very thing .
For it isn ’ t enough to meet this moment , as Newsom is so fond of saying .
We have to do something with this moment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this presidential election — so we don ’ t return to a normal that , while aspirational , left so many Californians behind .

Protesters face off with police in downtown Santa Monica as unrest continues in the wake of the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
When I opened the windows of my Westside L.A. apartment on Sunday afternoon, the last thing I expected was to get socked by the smell of whatever chemical agent had been deployed and drifted over from Santa Monica.
It seems as if all of California — long ago scarred by race riots and populated by people who pride themselves on having an evolved attitude toward race and justice — is raging or protesting.
Only a few blocks from the beach, people were busy shattering windows and looting stores in the idyllic downtown, lined with palm trees and green bike lanes. Meanwhile, a few blocks away on Ocean Avenue, the angry protesters who arrived after the peaceful protesters left were challenging police, throwing eggs and water bottles at them in the name of George Floyd, prompting the firing of rubber bullets and smoke grenades.
In Visalia, a man in a blue Jeep Wrangler sporting a “Keep America Great” flag drove through a crowd of protesters, hitting two women — a chilling reminder of what happened in Charlottesville, Va. Thankfully, the protesters suffered only minor injuries.
In Oakland, things have been out of control even for Oakland. Hundreds of protesters set fires, and many threw rocks and Molotov cocktails at police. They broke into banks and office buildings, along with small shops and restaurants, including several owned by black proprietors.
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Mayor Libby Schaaf lamented that at a news conference Saturday: “This horror was visited on this same community that we are trying to lift up.”
In La Mesa, anger over the police killing of Floyd in Minneapolis mixed with anger over the arrest of a local black man, who police say assaulted an officer at the Grossmont Transit Center. A video of the man’s encounter with the white officer went viral last week and now activists want the officer to be held accountable.
“I’m so tired of seeing young black men’s lives not meaning a thing in this country,” Desmond Collins of La Mesa told the San Diego Union-Tribune on Saturday.
In Sacramento, a standoff that started at the Capitol shifted to the Main Jail, as protesters and sheriff’s deputies went at each other in brief but tense dust-ups. One protester, according to the Sacramento Bee, brought along a banner calling out local District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert, who has repeatedly declined to charge officers involved in shootings of black men, including Stephon Clark.
“D.A. Schubert, your hands are bloody too.”
Even in Chico, clear up there in the State of Jefferson, nearly 100 people were outside holding up signs on Saturday.
::
A Patagonia store in Santa Monica is vandalized Sunday amid a day of unrest in Santa Monica. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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California likes to think of itself as enlightened about race.
We’re a majority minority state. A nation state. We’re proud of our diversity in all of its forms.
Sure, we’ve had riots over race and police brutality. The last one, in 1992, tore a chunk of Los Angeles apart, but we’ve learned from them. We’ve grown. Or so the story goes.
Today, we have police chiefs and district attorneys who are black, and sheriffs who are Latino.
We have a U.S. senator who is in the mix to become the first black vice president. The leader of our state Senate is a lesbian. The leader of the state Assembly is Latino. “Auntie” Maxine Waters, the unapologetically black congresswoman and original pain in Donald Trump’s you know what, is from here.
We have city councils and county boards of supervisors that overwhelmingly reflect the diversity of constituents. Politicians deliver speeches in multiple languages. Government documents are issued that way too.
We stand up for immigrants in California, a policy position adopted after the unmitigated racist disaster that was Proposition 187. We’ve sued the Trump administration dozens of times, often to ensure that people don’t have to live in the shadows because of their immigration status.
We have an enormous social safety net that has widespread support from taxpayers because we see it as our responsibility to care for the least among us, who, like everywhere else in the U.S., tend to be disproportionately black and brown.
I moved to California five years ago — first to Sacramento and then to Los Angeles — seeing these things and only these things.
Since then, I’ve learned that the reality of this state, while far, far better than the Midwestern one that I left, is complicated — especially for black people who make up a mere 6% of the population.
That these violent uprisings and peaceful protests are happening in cities large and small, up and down the state speaks to something black people know well and many others, especially self-absorbed white liberals, often choose to ignore: California is not as enlightened about race as we would like to believe.
::
Don’t think for a second that what you see in our streets is only about what happened to Floyd in Minneapolis.
These Californians are enraged about life in California, just like residents of Minnesota, Kentucky and every other state that has been blindsided by mass protests in recent days are enraged about their lives there. And their lives in this country as a whole.
It’s about police brutality, yes. It was only a few weeks ago that an LAPD officer was caught on video repeatedly punching a person of color in the head in Boyle Heights.
But that’s only part of it. What’s really manifesting itself on the streets from San Francisco to Santa Monica is the absolute, incalculable rage about the race-based inequities that have been ignored for too long by officials at all levels of California government.
A protester is treated for a wound after being struck by a rubber bullet and before being arrested for unlawful assembly Sunday in Santa Monica. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
The coronavirus outbreak has made this plain.
A recent Times data analysis found that black and Latino Californians who are younger than 50 are dying of COVID-19 in significantly greater numbers than white people.
In Los Angeles County alone, the death rate for black residents is double that of white residents. For Latinos, it’s 70% higher. It isn’t much better in San Francisco, where researchers tested 4,160 people for the coronavirus and found that though Latinos only made up 44% of those tested, they accounted for 95% of the positive cases.
One reason for the disparities has to do with unequal access to healthcare. But perhaps a bigger reason is that we have an economy that has long been stacked in favor of the white and wealthy.
While some of us had the privilege of being able to work from home and complain about having to be on Zoom all day, many black and brown Californians had no choice but to put themselves at higher risk of COVID-19 by ringing up groceries, driving buses and delivering Grubhub orders as “essential” workers.
Or, people like Maria Teresa Figueroa, who had little choice but to keep working in the fields of McFarland, a small city surrounded by grapevines just north of Bakersfield. She thought she had COVID-19 in January and was forced to take time off, losing wages as a result.
“We are working from sunup to sun down to put food on people’s tables,” she said.
Now Figueroa is on the verge of losing her housing because she can’t afford rent.
People of color are particularly vulnerable to the whims of the economy. Nationally, blacks and Latinos have lost jobs at higher percentages than white people because of the coronavirus. And even before the pandemic, both groups were overrepresented among California’s homeless population — the result of many factors, but namely systemic racism and abject poverty.
So as the economy tanks and the unemployment rate climbs to levels not seen since the Great Depression, we all know who will bear the brunt of it. Again. Think about that the next time you grouse about why looters descended on downtown Santa Monica and the Grove — symbols of extreme wealth in a state overrun with poverty.
At last count, there were 165 billionaires in California. There are also more than 150,000 homeless people in this state, many of whom have been living in filthy encampments for years. And now, with housing costs that have been allowed to rise largely unchecked and the added economic disruption of the coronavirus, many more, mostly black and brown Californians are on the verge of suffering the same fate.
So is it really all that surprising that some people, angry and possibly in dire economic straits themselves, don’t care about causing damage and stealing from wealthy neighborhoods?
A mannequin lies on a sidewalk after businesses were vandalized Sunday near the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
In these dark times, what gives me hope is the same thing that pulled me to California in the first place: A willingness to recognize and figure out how to do the right thing.
That is certainly more than I can say for the red state that I left. At the time, Vice President Mike Pence was the governor of Indiana, and he had just ignited a national fervor by signing a law that allowed businesses to discriminate against the LGBT community on religious grounds.
It was about par for the course for him. He spent his entire time in office figuring out how to make it harder — or at least more traumatic — for women to get an abortion, how to tie health insurance and food stamps to work requirements, how to let more people have guns without background checks and, of course, how to prevent same-sex couples from getting married.
I had built a life for myself in the blue island of Indianapolis. Being a woman who is black, gay and liberal, I knew I had to leave.
So it meant something to me that, as news was breaking about the National Guard being deployed to L.A., Gov. Gavin Newsom tweeted: “The racial inequities that exist in our society are evident all around us. Just look at #COVID19. Communities of color are overwhelmingly impacted. We must continue to work toward a more just, equitable future.”
On Monday, Newsom, visibly shaken and humbled after the tumultuous weekend, said black people have lost patience because we have heard promise after promise for decades, but haven’t seen progress. And he’s right.
“We prune,” Newsom admitted. “We don’t tear out the institutional racism.”
His words aren’t even close to enough, I know. We need action. As Newsom acknowledged, government institutions have a responsibility to prove that “we’re capable of being more as a society.” And in the weeks and months ahead, as I travel the state to tell people’s stories, I plan to hold him and other elected officials accountable to that very thing.
For it isn’t enough to meet this moment, as Newsom is so fond of saying. We have to do something with this moment — this pandemic, this revolt, this presidential election — so we don’t return to a normal that, while aspirational, left so many Californians behind.
No justice. No peace.