The City of Los Angeles said Sunday that it has dropped criminal charges and fines against protestors who were arrested for breaking a curfew after Black Lives Matter and America Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Southern California filed a lawsuit against the city.
The Los Angeles Police Department responded to the violent protests, saying, "persons who committed significant crimes such as looting, burglary, robbery, vandalism, arson, and assault with great bodily injury will be held accountable for their actions during the past days."
The curfew was supposed to instill calm and restore order, but others saw it as a violation of rights.
A lawsuit filed by the Black Lives Matter Los Angeles division and ACLU Southern California claimed that the curfew violated people's freedom of movement and suppressed the right to protest. The organizations also condemned the use of violence some officers used in dealing with protestors, as some instances were captured on video.
"Given what we have seen this week with respect to how LAPS enforced the curfew—the many videos and news reports of excessive force and ambush tactics—any move by the city council attorney to force people to defend themselves against curfew charges would be tantamount to sanctioning police repressions," said Adrienna Wong, senior staff at the ACLU.
In response, Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey, whose office deals with curfew related violations, said that her office will no longer be pursuing curfew cases.
It is unclear how authorities plan to enforce the curfews.