Protests for police brutality ended with arrests in California late on Friday after authorities were forced to intervene with a large group of Black Lives Matter activists who marched through several neighborhoods in Beverly Hills, forming an unlawful assembly.
The large gathering started at about 7:30 p.m. in the area of Santa Monica Boulevard, between Alpine and Rexford drives, the Beverly Hills Police Department said in a statement.
About 100 protesters decided to sit down in the middle of the street further in their march on North Santa Monica Boulevard westbound at Rexford, interfering with the traffic, police said on Twitter.
Human Events Managing Editor Ian Miles Cheong posted a series of videos of the demonstration. In one video activists are seen marching through a residential neighborhood late at night, causing a disturbance.
“Activists took to residential neighborhoods in Los Angeles, blasting loud music and blocked the streets,” Cheong wrote in a caption to the video.
Authorities declared the march an unlawful assembly at about 11:40 p.m., when the protesters marched from the park along Santa Monica Boulevard to Rexford Drive, then north on Rexford Drive to Carmelita Avenue.
“The unlawful assembly in the area of Rexford Dr & Carmelita Ave has ended with arrests being made,” the Beverly Hills Police Department said. “Protesters have now left the City.”
The unlawful assembly in the area of Rexford Dr & Carmelita Ave has ended with arrests being made. Protesters have now left the City.
— Beverly Hills Police (@BeverlyHillsPD) June 27, 2020
Cheong also posted a video of police arresting the activists. “Police showed up in full force to arrest members of the Black Lives Matter,” he wrote in the caption of the video.
One of the protesters seems to be pretending in the video that he got injured during his arrest. At first, he stands up himself and later forces police officers to drag him further as he lays down on the street.
The department did not release a specific number for the arrests made that night. Though, a report from local outlet NBC Los Angeles said at least 24 people were arrested.
Several weeks earlier, the City of Beverly Hills announced new rules that banned most nighttime gatherings of at least 10 or more people following violent nationwide riots that burned down buildings, attacked law enforcement, and looted businesses in the weeks following the death of George Floyd.
“To preserve the peace and tranquility of residential neighborhoods, effective tonight and until further notice, no more than 10 people shall gather in an assembly in a public right of way in a residential area between the hours of 9 p.m. and 8 a.m.,” the City of Beverly Hills said in a statement. “An assembly is defined as any gathering or group of 10 or more people on a public street, sidewalk, or other public places if those 10 people have a common purpose or goal.”
“Any assembly that is silent, such as a candlelight vigil, and gatherings on private property are exempt from this emergency order,” the city added.
Officials said residents who flout the order will be subject to arrest.
From The Epoch Times
