Beverly Hills has banned most nighttime gatherings of at least 10 people on residential streets and other public places in residential areas in response to two protests that “disrupted the tranquility” of a neighborhood.
The proclamation, issued late Saturday by City Manager George Chavez in his role as director of emergency services, came in response to a second nighttime protest in a residential area conducted by the group Occupy Beverly Hills, which began at 10 p.m. Friday and continued until approximately 1 a.m. Saturday, according to the proclamation.
The protest “included bullhorns and amplified music and disrupted the tranquility of the residential neighborhood during hours when many people would be ordinarily sleeping,” the proclamation said.
The order is in effect from 9 p.m. to 8 a.m., and will remain in effect until further notice. Violating the order is punishable as a misdemeanor under the Beverly Hills Municipal Code, according to the proclamation.
Assemblies that are silent, such as candlelight vigils, and gatherings on private property are exempt.
The order defines an assembly as “any gathering or group of 10 or more people” on a public street, sidewalk, alley, park or other public place “if those 10 people have a common purpose or goal.”
The order was issued at 9:55 p.m. Saturday under the powers granted to Chavez by the proclamation of a local emergency he issued May 30 following “widespread acts of violence and property damage by people who were taking advantage of the protests concerning the tragic death of George Floyd.”
The order essentially covers every area of the city except its business district.
The group identifying itself as Occupy Beverly Hills arrived in the city around 11 p.m. Friday, police said. Its members wore hard hats, helmets, body vests and backpacks and came equipped with bullhorns, drums, a generator, a fire extinguisher and lasers.
Initially peaceful and as with other protesters in the city, the group was permitted to march along North Santa Monica Boulevard, then entered a residential area, created a disturbance with amplified music and bullhorns and trespassed onto private properties. An unlawful assembly was declared and multiple dispersal orders through a long-range acoustical device were given, all of which were ignored, police said.
The protesters continued to aggress the officers and assaulted officers by pointing lasers in their faces and eyes, a crime in California, police said.
Beverly Hills Police Department officers shot sponge projectiles toward protesters using lasers and throwing objects at officers, then deployed tear gas. After the crowd departed, multiple cans and bottles were collected as evidence, police said.
No arrests have been made.