SANTA MONICA—Starting at 4 p.m on Monday, June 1, the city of Santa Monica is under a curfew. The city issued an update with information regarding the George Floyd protests, along with a message from Mayor Kevin McKeown.
“On Sunday, Santa Monica honored and respected, and ultimately protected, a peaceful protest against institutional racism,” said McKeown.
The city indicated that the National Guard has arrived, and that the curfew starts at 1 p.m. for business districts.
Chief of Police for the Santa Monica Police Department, Cynthia Renaud confirmed over 400 arrests — 95 percent of whom reside outside the city, the department noted in a tweet in a tweet.
The city reported nine fires on Sunday, with no active fires at this time. No serious injuries or deaths were reported. The city announced on May 31, via Twitter that city’s police and fire departments received 1,000 9-1-1 calls since 12 p.m — 800 more than the average 200 daily emergency calls.
The mayor condemned individuals who practiced looting and damaged businesses across the city. McKeown pointed out that such actions challenge the city’s economic recovery process, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
“What a small and selfish criminal element has done instead is to bring our community more closely together,” McKeown said. “We will support our local businesses to recover from this.”
The update also noted that the Santa Monica Police Department will continue to “enforce the curfew and arrest anyone who breaks the law.”
In the update, City Public Works crews will be assisting affected businesses. In addition to boarding up damaged properties, the crews will also “clean city streets and sidewalks, remove graffiti, and conduct damage assessments.”
