Los Angeles County, city to end curfew

Los Angeles County and the city of Los Angeles will both end the nightly curfews they first imposed over the weekend as protests sparked by the death of George Floyd continue.

While the cities within the county are free to set their own restrictions, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said his office would not enforce the curfew Thursday.

“Based upon current situational awareness and the recent pattern of peaceful actions by protesters, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department will no longer enforce a curfew,” Villanueva wrote in a statement, according to the Los Angeles Times. “Other jurisdictions are free to make their own decisions.”

Beverly Hills and Santa Clarita have both announced they will impose citywide curfews Thursday from 6:00 p.m. through 6:00 a.m. Friday. The cities said the curfews will not apply to first responders, law enforcement, people experiencing homelessness and those on their way to or from work.

After scattered looting and property damage over the weekend and Monday evening, protests Tuesday and Wednesday night were largely peaceful, with officials pushing curfews back later into the night Wednesday.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn called for them to be lifted entirely on Wednesday, saying she saw the need for them Sunday and Monday but “now it seems like they are being used to arrest peaceful protesters. I don’t think they are needed anymore.”

The American Civil Liberties Union on Wednesday sued both the county and the city of Los Angeles over their curfews, as well as the city of San Bernardino. “The curfews’ extraordinary suppression of all political protest in the evening hours plainly violates the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and their blanket restrictions on movement outside working hours violate the Constitution’s protection of freedom of movement,” the ACLU said in a statement.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti (D) had previously said the city’s curfew would be lifted Thursday if the city did not see widespread disturbances Wednesday night, according to the Times. Garcetti on Thursday afternoon announced that the city’s curfew would be lifted as well.

I have lifted the curfew in the City of Los Angeles. We remain strongly committed to protecting the right of Angelenos to make their voices heard and ensuring the safety of our community.

— MayorOfLA (@MayorOfLA) June 4, 2020