Los Angeles County Issues Third Consecutive 6 p.m. Curfew

Gene Maddaus
·3 min read

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For the third night in a row, Los Angeles County has issued a 6 p.m. curfew on Tuesday, following another night in which police arrested hundreds of people for curfew violations and for failing to disperse.

The curfew will lift at 6 a.m. on Wednesday.

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Beverly Hills has issued an even earlier curfew, starting at 1 p.m. A peaceful protest was underway there on Tuesday morning on Santa Monica Boulevard. City officials urged residents to avoid the area.

Santa Monica — the site of both looting and peaceful protests on Sunday — issued its own curfew starting at 2 p.m. Culver City reimposed a 4 p.m. curfew and canceled its farmers’ market. The city of Los Angeles imposed its own 6 p.m. curfew, aligned with the county’s order.

The ACLU of Southern California sent letters to the city and county on Tuesday afternoon, arguing that the curfews are unconstitutional. Ahilan Arulanantham, senior counsel of the ACLU, wrote that the curfews are too broad — covering all 10 million county residents — and that they restrict peaceful demonstrations and freedom of movement.

On Monday night, there was substantial looting in Van Nuys and Hollywood.

Chief Michael Moore told the L.A. Police Commission on Tuesday that 2,700 people have been arrested since the protests began, the vast majority for curfew violations and failing to disperse from an unlawful assembly. He said that 66 police vehicles had been damaged, and seven had been burned. He also said that more than 100 buildings have been damaged as well.

Several peaceful demonstrations took place during the day in Los Angeles, including along Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice.

The demonstrations come in the wake of the May 25 death of George Floyd, who was pinned by the neck during an arrest in Minneapolis. Officer Derek Chauvin has been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter, and is due in court on June 8.

The California National Guard was called out on Saturday in response to looting in the mid-city area. On Monday, President Trump threatened to send active duty troops to quell violence around the country if governors cannot do so themselves.

The Los Angeles County curfew does not apply to people who are voting in El Rancho Unified School District in Pico Rivera, or in the City of Commerce. As with earlier curfew orders, it also does not apply to people traveling to and from work or to seek medical care. Credentialed media and homeless people are also exempt.

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