Protests over police killing of George Floyd remain peaceful
By Sam Catanzaro
Demonstrators peacefully protested the police killing of George Floyd in Westwood Monday, briefly blocking the 405 freeway while local businesses remained undamaged.
According to Andrew Thomas, Westwood Business Improvement District Executive Director, as of Tuesday morning, there were no obvious signs of damage or vandalism in Westwood Village, other than one graffiti tag on Wilshire Boulevard.
Despite posts on social media indicating that a planned protest had been canceled, hundreds still showed up at the Federal Building demonstrating against police brutality.
At one point, protestors made their way on to the 405 Freeway at Wilshire Boulevard, blocking northbound traffic. Police began firing rubber bullets at protestors on the freeway, detaining at least 10 people, according to the Daily Bruin.
The Daily Bruin reports that police then ordered protestors onto Wilshire Boulevard, forming a blockade before declaring the demonstration an unlawful assembly and ordering participants to leave the area.
“We are grateful to law enforcement and the National Guard for their presence in the Village yesterday, and we thank Councilmember Koretz for prioritizing and facilitating this deployment to protect the safety of the public and our local businesses,” Thomas said. “There are more protests planned in Los Angeles today. We do not know of any planned in the Westwood community. However, considering the uncertainty in our city, we have asked that local and state safety and security resources remain in the district.”
