Mayor Karen Bass announced an 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew in a square-mile section of downtown Los Angeles, going into effect Tuesday evening in an attempt to stop the looting and vandalism in the area.
The curfew will be in effect between Golden State (5) Freeway to Harbor (110) Freeway and from Santa Monica (10) Freeway to where the Arroyo Seco (110) Parkway and Golden State Freeway merge, Bass said Tuesday during a news conference.
“If you do not live or work in downtown L.A., avoid the area,” Bass said. Law enforcement will arrest individuals who break the curfew, and you will be prosecuted,” Bass said Tuesday during a news conference.
There will be “limited exceptions” to the curfew — residents of the area, “people traveling to and from work and credentialed media representatives,” Bass said.
Bass said she expects the curfew to be in effect for “several days.” She said she will consult with law enforcement officials Wednesday about extending the curfew for additional days.
Bass said she had considered implementing a curfew for several days, but said the looting of 23 businesses Monday was a tipping point.
Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell reiterated that anyone who is in violation of the curfew will be subject to arrest.
“The curfew is a necessary measure to protect lives and safeguard property,” McDonnell said.
The LAPD has made 197 arrests as of Tuesday in connection with the lawbreaking that began Friday, sparked by federal action to arrest immigrants in the country without legal permission, mostly related to individuals who refused to adhere to dispersal orders.
“Refusing to comply with lawful dispersal orders and interfering with public operations is dangerous, unlawful and won’t be tolerated,” McDonnell added. “If you are in the curfew zone during the restricted hours without that legal exemption, you will be arrested. If you assault an officer in any fashion, you will be arrested.”
The LAPD is operating under a unified command with the city’s Fire Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the California Highway Patrol, McDonnell said.
“We’re fully coordinated and our shared mission is clear to restore peace and ensure the safety of everyone in our city,” McDonnell said.
Councilwoman Ysabel Jurado, who represents the 14th District, which stretches from downtown Los Angeles to Boyle Heights and parts of Northeast Los Angeles, said the curfew was necessary.
“When these peaceful rallies end and the protesters head home another element moves in — opportunists who come in under the cover of a peaceful protest to ravage and destroy,” Jurado said.
“They are ruining local small businesses, smashing storefronts and threatening the safety of the very community that has welcomed people from across the city and globe. This isn’t just broken glass or stolen goods, it’s someone’s livelihood, someone’s safe space, someone’s home that’s been violated, and it’s happening in a neighborhood where working class families are just trying to live.
“This curfew is not about silencing protests. It’s about protecting people and ensuring that the local residents, small businesses, our families, our elders and our workers are not left vulnerable to those who come only to destroy.”