BEVERLY HILLS—The latest weekly Freedom Rally at Beverly Gardens Park, held in support of President Donald Trump, met on Saturday afternoon, August 29, with roughly 100 people in attendance. Beverly Hills Police Department (BHPD) handled a suspicious package on location, which prompted them to temporarily move the group away from the area. An unlawful assembly had also been declared by police later during the event.
At around 2:57 p.m. the peaceful protest was underway in Beverly Gardens Park at the Beverly Hills sign. About 30 minutes later, police were investigating a suspicious package threat, and advised the public to avoid areas of North Santa Monica Boulevard between Crescent and Rodeo Drives. On social media, they stated that traffic would be impacted.
BHPD announced the area was safe and ended their investigation at about 4:36 p.m. North Santa Monica Boulevard between Crescent and Rodeo Drives were also reopened to traffic and protesters. Details about the package and its exact nature were not available, according to FOX 11.
Around the same time, police declared an unlawful assembly and crowds began to disperse. BHPD remained on scene and continued to monitor until the event’s conclusion a couple hours later.
FOX 11 reported that more officers were on standby this time. Some counter protesters got into conflicts with supporters of President Donald Trump and had to be separated by police. Less counter protesters were in attendance compared to last week, in which another unlawful assembly was announced.
Fist fights broke out between Trump supporters and Black Lives Matter advocates on Saturday, August 22. At least four separate fights happened during the protest. One person was sprayed with a chemical irritant. The weekly Freedom Rally has been held at Beverly Gardens Park in Beverly Hills since late July.
