National Guard on its way, curfew goes into effect throughout LA amid unrest
An overnight curfew went into effect for the entire city of Los Angeles at 8 p.m. Saturday, May 30, amid ongoing protests demanding justice for George Floyd, an African American man who died this week after a white officer kneeled on his neck in Minnesota.
Mayor Eric Garcetti also called on Gov. Gavin Newsom to deploy as many as 700 National Guard troops to the region to assist as the protests became more violent.
Shortly before 8 p.m. Saturday, Garcetti tweeted that the National Guard would arrive overnight.
The Guard’s mission, he tweeted, would be “to support our local response to maintain peace and safety on the streets of our city.”
The California National Guard is being deployed to Los Angeles overnight to support our local response to maintain peace and safety on the streets of our city.
— MayorOfLA (@MayorOfLA) May 31, 2020
Garcetti ordered the curfew, which will last until 5:30 a.m. Sunday, in an attempt to quell the anger that boiled over during Friday night’s downtown protests, leading to an unlawful assembly order, buildings getting damaged and broken into, police vehicles being vandalized, and more than 500 people being arrested — one on suspicion of attempted murder.
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Hours after making the announcement, Garcetti said he and Los Angeles County officials had called on Gov. Gavin Newsom to deploy the National Guard to the region.
“This is no longer protest,” Garcetti told KABC in a live television broadcast as he announced the request. “This is vandalism, and everybody’s in danger.”
Large groups of people began looting luxury stores along Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills and department stores in The Grove. Garcetti describe the looters and vandals as people who are “looking to exploit the cause of justice.”
As for the curfew, Garcetti made the order as protesters in the Fairfax area across town engaged in a tense standoff with police; officers shot rubber bullets at the crowds as some of the demonstrators lit police vehicles on fire and shut down intersections.
“We’ve seen those shadows in the past; don’t bring them back,” Garcetti said, referring to the 1992 Los Angeles riots that followed the acquittal of four LAPD officers accused of excessive force and assault in the arrest of Rodney King. “We will use law to re-establish your liberty, to save lives, but we cannot do that when folks are lighting fires, shooting at our officers, throwing projectiles, and escalating things.”
Due to ongoing public safety concerns, the city also closed all its COVID-19 testing centers on Saturday. Garcetti cautioned against the lack of social distancing at the protests, which could help spread the coronavirus.
Metro officials also announced Saturday afternoon that all rail service into downtown had been suspended. Bus lines in the downtown, Fairfax and East Los Angeles areas were all experiencing delays and rolling detours, officials said.
Garcetti also pleaded with the crowds in Fairfax to go home, saying that no further point could be made by setting fires.
“If you love the city,” he said, “go home, and come back, and we can peacefully protest.”
Earlier this week, Floyd, a 46-year-old Minneapolis resident, died when a police officer pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck for several minutes, even after he lost consciousness. On Friday, that officer, Derek Chauvin, 44, was charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
Floyd’s death sparked protests nationwide, demonstrators criticizing law enforcement policing of communities of color.
Los Angeles, which has a history of tense relations between the Police Department and black and Latino communities, is no exception.
Garcetti acknowledged the mistakes Los Angeles police officers have made throughout the city’s history, repeatedly referencing the Rodney King arrest, but said the city has changed since 1992.
He did say, however, that much work still needs to be done to mend inequalities in the city. But, Garcetti added, violence and damaging property is not a way to respond.
“None of that is an excuse to burn a city down,” Garcetti said. “We need to breathe, step back and do that hard work tomorrow.”
City News Service contributed to this report.