MALIBU— Malibu stays on high alert as protesting continues in neighboring cities, although looting and rioting has not make its way to the city of Malibu.
On June 1, the Lost Hills-Malibu Sheriff’s Station assured residents not to worry about numerous posts on Twitter calling for looting and rioting in Calabasas and Malibu that were alluded to the morning of June 1 by the city of Calabasas on its social media pages.
The decision made by Mayor Pro Tem Mikke Pierson was posted in a video stating,
“The city of Malibu supports peaceful First Amendment protests to express outrage over the social injustice that the nation has recently witnessed,” he said, referring to the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police that triggered mass protests around the country. Pierson continued, “But we are also keeping a close eye on violence in nearby cities…the Sheriff’s Department is on tactical alert, and will respond to protect life and property in Malibu…We know this is a scary time for many of us and we pray for peace.”
Neighboring cities, like Santa Monica, witnessed protesting without violence which suddenly stopped and the looting and rioting began. On Tuesday, June 2, ABC 7 reported, “scattered incidents of looting were occurring, one woman stood with her bike in front of a Santa Monica jewelry store that had already had its windows smashed and helped ward off additional trouble.” Additionally, an owner from a 75-year-old jewelry store came close with a mob who tried but failed to break into the store.
Saturday and Sunday Beverly Hills and Fairfax were filled with protestors; many participants of which were from the Black Lives Matter movement. They were called to action because of the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, whose death is now being reported as a homicide that happened on May 25 by former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin, who was seen in a 9 minute video with his knee on Floyd’s neck. On Friday May 29, Chauvin was charged with third degree murder and manslaughter. The damage Beverly Hills and Fairfax received came whilst protestors were interrupted by crowds who initiated violence when bricks were thrown into businesses’ windows in the surrounding area.
The curfew continues on, including in cities like Hollywood, who had and organized peaceful protests that involved hundreds walking the streets of Hollywood Blvd and Western. On the official Malibu City website, information on the curfew was posted,
“[June 2, 2020] Los Angeles County, including the City of Malibu, will be under a countywide curfew to protect public safety from 6 PM today, Tuesday, June 2, 2020, through 6 AM on Wednesday, June 3, 2020.”
The website alway stated,
“During the curfew hours, it is a misdemeanor for any person to be on a public street, place, walkway, alley, park or other public area, with the following exceptions: peace officers; firefighters; National Guard or other military personnel deployed to the area; emergency medical services personnel; individuals traveling to and from work; individuals working on a public work of improvement construction project; credentialed media representatives involved in news gathering; people experiencing homelessness and without access to a viable shelter; and individuals seeking medical treatment.”
