L.A. After Curfew
A group of civil rights advocates including The National Lawyers Guild, Black Lives Matter and Los Angeles Community Action Network are suing the City of Los Angeles, alleging that they violated peoples rights to protest and used excessive force while enforcing curfews last week. The suit alleged that people were handcuffed and loaded into buses and vans for extended periods of time, potentially exposing them to coronavirus.
The police officer slaying of an unarmed black man, George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota sparked massive protests around the country calling out police brutality and demanding change. Although many marched peacefully, some businesses were looted near the protests. Starting Saturday May 30th, 2020, Mayor Eric Garcetti enacted curfews for five consecutive nights “to protect everyones safety, and help our first responders keep the peace.” During that stretch some cities, including Santa Monica enacted curfews as early as 1 pm. Full arrest statistics have not yet been released but data suggests that less than 5% of arrests were related to looting and the booking records show that the majority of arrests were for curfew violations.
