Attempting to quell the protests and riots across Los Angeles following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Los Angeles County extended the countywide curfew to Monday night, beginning at 6 p.m.
Though an alert was sent out via cell phone stating that curfew would go into effect at 5 p.m., it was an alert only meant to go to the city of Glendale.
The curfew, imposed countywide within unincorporated and incorporated areas, was set to stay in place until 6 a.m. Tuesday.
This comes after a curfew was put in place Sunday night, following L.A. County issuing a countywide state of emergency.
The county Board of Supervisors and L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva put out an executive order issuing the curfew Sunday, where only first responders, those traveling to and from work, those who are homeless without access to a viable shelter, credentialed media and individuals seeking medical attention are exempt.
Michelle Vega, a spokeswoman for Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents the 5th District, which includes the SCV, confirmed that the curfew would be extended, and the new executive order issued Monday gave the same parameters, stating that “the county may renew, amend or extend this order.”
City of Santa Clarita officials confirmed in a prepared statement Sunday that the curfew would include the city, stating that, “This action from the county comes after days of rioting and looting in Southern California and across the country. According to the sheriff, Alex Villanueva, the curfew is a useful tool to separate the people who have a legitimate reason to be somewhere and the people who are looking to loot and cause trouble.”
“The safety of residents and protection of property is the top concern for the Sheriff’s Department and the city of Santa Clarita,” the statement read. “This curfew comes a day after a peaceful protest in Santa Clarita, where no arrests were made and no one was injured.”
Barger addressed the extension in a Twitter post: “To protect against any further devastation, @LACoSheriff implemented another curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. With COVID-19 fresh in our minds, we see that staying home can save lives. Life is precious — and we must do everything we can to protect one another.”
On Monday, it was L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti who broke the news that the curfew would be extended, issuing a statement that read: “The focus needs to stay on taking down systemic racism and ending senseless violence against black men and women — and we can’t let a small number of people hijack that movement by putting lives in danger and destroying property. We are keeping the curfew in place tonight to protect everyone’s safety and help our first responders keep the peace.”
