Thousands join daytime George Floyd protests in heart of Hollywood and across Southland
LOS ANGELES - A large crowd encompassing people of all races, fueled by the death of George Floyd, took to the streets in the heart of Hollywood Tuesday afternoon to show their solidarity with the black community. It was one of many demonstrations planned in Southland Tuesday.
About 15 miles to the west, a protest began at 8 a.m. in Venice just two hours after a county-wide curfew expired.
Business owners in Venice braced for the protests and showed solidarity in hopes to ward off looters after the event was posted on social media.
In addition, the sheriff's department set up barricades blocking access roads into the adjacent Marina del Rey area.
RELATED: Daytime protest underway in Venice as business owners show solidarity in hopes to ward off looters
A short time later, a group organized by the Baptist Ministers Conference of Southern California and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference gathered outside Los Angeles Police Department headquarters downtown, then moved outside nearby City Hall.
Several police officers were seen mingling with the demonstrators, shaking hands and taking photos, and a line of officers even dropped to a knee with the group as a sign of solidarity. Mayor Eric Garcetti also joined the group, also taking a knee expressing support for their movement.
"A black face should not be a sentence to die, nor to be homeless, nor to be sick, nor to be underemployed, nor to be under-educated," he said."We need a country that listens."
Garcetti then invited leaders of the demonstration to come inside City Hall for a discussion about the issues, "not about words."
"Because this is not just about words,'' he said. "This is about what we do as a nation and a city at this moment."
The Hollywood protest was organized by Southland high school students and was even promoted by rapper YG.
According to the rapper, some were discouraged against attending the event because it was deemed unsafe, to which the rapper said the protest would go on.
The protest started at the famous intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street as protesters marched toward Highland Avenue.
Some demonstrators even took a knee during what has so far been a peaceful protest.
A protest was also underway in Manhattan Beach.
FOX 11's Hailey Winslow spoke to a family whose courageous children articulated their reasoning for joining the protest.
“Well, I am privileged. I think it’s really important to spread the message. I want to be an ally to people. I want to help people because I don’t think it’s fair that people have to be treated like this. They’re just a part of our community and I think we should welcome them” the young girl told FOX 11.
Her little brother sweetly echoed her sentiments.
“I’m here because these poor people are being hurt and for no reason. But if we do this, that means it could be better and the world could be changed to a better environment and better people,” he said.
As of midday, there were no reports of violence or looting, which has marred demonstrations over the past several days.
Beverly Hills police also reported a peaceful protest just before midday on Santa Monica Boulevard near Canon Drive.
Meanwhile, members of Black Lives Matter were speaking out in force during a videoconference meeting of the Los Angeles Police Commission, noting that while Floyd's death in Minneapolis has been a rallying cry for protests nationally, local actions are also aimed at the LAPD, which the group has dubbed "the most murderous police department in the country."
Tuesday's gatherings began hours after a countywide curfew was lifted at 6 a.m., and hours after hundreds of arrests were made in Hollywood, Westwood and the San Fernando Valley, mostly for people ignoring the county and city curfews as they continued protesting Monday night.
Los Angeles police Chief Michel Moore told the Police Commission that 2,700 arrests had been made since the protests began last week, the vast majority of them for violating curfew. About 10% of the arrests were for looting. He also said more than 60 LAPD vehicles had been damaged during protests, including some that were burned.
Roughly 1,000 National Guard personnel were deployed to the area over the weekend after Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Saturday for all of Los Angeles County. Troops have been deployed in front of Los Angeles City Hall, outside the Lakewood Center and were assigned to locations in Long Beach and Santa Monica.
At least 2,000 troops were expected to be deployed in Los Angeles by Tuesday, Moore said.
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