Dozens Arrested in Beverly Hills During “Eat the Rich” Overnight Protest

Protests and civil unrest in the wake of George Floyd's death have evolved to cover a multitude of issues.

Though protests initially were focused on race relations, many people are protesting income inequality.

Reports suggest that the protest in Beverly Hills was more about money than race.

According to NBC Los Angeles:

An overnight demonstration in Beverly Hills, quelled by police who declared it an unlawful assembly under a recently passed city ordinance banning most nighttime gatherings of 10 or more people, netted 28 arrests, a police sergeant said Saturday.

The arrests, mostly for unlawful assembly, were made about 1 a.m. and included one suspect being arrested on suspicion of arson, Beverly Hills Police Sgt. Thomas West told City News Service.

"Apparently, the suspect was (attempting) to light a building or something on fire,'' West said. "They (the arrestees) are here at our station being processed. Once they are processed, they can be cited out. With 28 people, it's just taking awhile."

Demonstrations began at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the area of Santa Monica Boulevard, between North Alpine and North Rexford drives, according to the Beverly Hills Police Department.

About 100 protesters sat in the middle of Santa Monica Boulevard at Rexford Drive, just before 8 p.m., impacting traffic, police said.

The demonstration then moved northbound onto a residential portion of Rodeo Drive, north of Santa Monica Boulevard and stopped briefly at the Beverly Hills sign at Beverly Gardens Park, 9439 Santa Monica Blvd., the department said.

From the park, protesters marched along Santa Monica Boulevard to Rexford Drive, then north on Rexford Drive to Carmelita Avenue, where police declared an unlawful assembly at 11:40 p.m.

At 1:10 .a.m., police announced protesters had left the city and the unlawful assembly was ended with an unknown number of arrests.

On June 13, Beverly Hills banned nighttime gatherings of at least 10 or more people on residential streets and other public places in residential areas in response to two protests that "disrupted the tranquility" of a neighborhood.

The proclamation, issued by City Manager George Chavez in his role as director of emergency services, came in response to a second nighttime protest in a residential area conducted by the group Occupy Beverly Hills, which began at 10 p.m. on June 12 and continued until approximately 1 a.m., according to the proclamation.

On social media, many liberals seem to be angry at the police for arresting the protesters.

However, the order in Beverly Hills clearly bans protests and gatherings of 10 people or more from 9 pm to 8 am.

These protesters were breaking the order.

The only assemblies that are exempt from the order are those that are silent (such as candlelight vigils) or those held on private property.

Footage reportedly from the protests shows protesters burning American flags and calling for the end of capitalism.

But Patch is reporting that the Beverly Hills police are now under criticism for arresting protesters and holding them up to 18 hours:

Beverly Hills police are drawing criticism for arresting and holding 28 protesters at a peaceful protest Friday night. The protesters were detained after officers declared an unlawful assembly under a recently passed city ordinance banning most nighttime gatherings of 10 or more people.

Protest organizer Austin Tharpe, 29, organizer of Friday night's protest, told the Los Angeles Times the arrests were "very retaliatory," and that demonstrators are usually detained, cited and released within a few hours.

"It's extremely aggressive for them to be detained for almost 14 hours and still not processed, still no word from them," he said.

Some protesters were still in custody late Saturday afternoon. One protester claimed on Twitter that they were held for 18 hours with no phone calls, and their friend was denied medication. These unusually long detentions prompted the National Lawyers Guild to call for their immediate release.

"It is outrageous that during a statewide health crisis — and when, as we have been hearing from our local, state and federal officials, the number of COVID-19 cases in California are continuing to rise — that the Beverly Hills Police Department would hold these peaceful protesters in custody," the organization said in a statement. "Keeping these men and women in custody will unnecessarily expose them to significant health risk and endanger their lives."

On Saturday, a Beverly Hills spokesperson said that the protesters were released with no bail enhancements, but the process took a longer time than usual because of the number of arrests. The spokesperson also said that no use of force incidents or injuries were reported by either protesters or police.

The arrests, mostly for unlawful assembly, were made about 1 a.m. Saturday and included one suspect being arrested on suspicion of arson, Beverly Hills police Sgt. Thomas West told the City News Service.

"Apparently, the suspect was (attempting) to light a building or something on fire," West said. "They (the arrestees) are here at our station being processed. Once they are processed, they can be cited out. With 28 people, it's just taking a while." A city spokesperson said that extra staff was brought in to process the detained.

Demonstrations began at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the area of Santa Monica Boulevard, between North Alpine and North Rexford drives, according to the Beverly Hills Police Department. About 100 protesters, many from an organization called the Black Future Project, sat in the middle of Santa Monica Boulevard at Rexford Drive, just before 8 p.m., impacting traffic, police said.

While several people may attempt to criticize the Beverly Hills police, the reality is that the order by the city was clearly being disobeyed.

Furthermore, video evidence suggests that at least 1 protester was attempting to light buildings on fire.

Fortunately, no one was hurt or seriously injured during the incident.