Anaheim Crowds Gather On Third Night Of Protests

ANAHEIM, CA — Nearly 700 people demonstrated against police brutality in the city of Anaheim, Monday evening. With signs, chanting, they took a knee in front of Anaheim City Hall. At 6 p.m., the protest was declared over and the curfew began.

Protest activity lasted in the area for about four hours, officials say, with over 20 arrests made, including that of a group who tried and failed to loot a store. Anaheim officials remained in the area overnight, protecting property through the curfew hours.

Protesters headed northbound on Anaheim Boulevard, still voicing their frustration.
The police, who monitored the activity, remained in front of the city hall. As of 7 p.m., the crowd rounded back.

Southlanders headed into Monday with frayed nerves, especially the business owners who watched Santa Monica, Melrose, and other cities fall victim to violent looting.

Authorities have made a strong presence known. As long as they follow the rules, the police will keep monitoring the fragile peace.

Nearby businesses are also concerned about looting. Boards and signs declaring "minority owned business," "We want justice for George," and "We Stand With You," are prominent. Owners are hopeful it may be enough to keep the looters at bay.

These shopkeepers, holding things together after months of coronavirus shutdown, are eking by.

One more set back — a destructive riot or a looting spree — could ruin them.

Police distributed "protest expectations" to share with the crowd. Stay out of lanes of traffic. Do not block driveways. Do not vandalize, damage, burn or destroy private or public property. Respect the directions of police officers. Allow for pedestrians to pass. Use crosswalks. Do not engage in violent behavior or cause a fight. Do not riot.

In Anaheim, people protested, shared their grief and grievance at the police brutality that claimed the life of George Floyd in Minneapolis one week ago. After the curfew, tensions stayed high. When mortars were thrown at officers, police declared an unlawful assembly. Over 20 were arrested.

Curfews were in place in many Orange County towns Monday, but officials stopped short of making curfew orders countywide,after days of looting and riots across the southland.

In Costa Mesa, South Coast Plaza, which planned an opening celebration for June 1, tabled the plans until a later date. Costa Mesa's city hall also delayed its opening this week.

Costa Mesa police geared up for protests in the area after the 7 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. curfew goes into effect.

The Costa Mesa police shared that they were aware of a flyer circulating on social media that mentions a planned protest at a nearby park, at South Coast Drive and Bear Street on Monday.

Some social media reports from protesters claimed the meetings, described as "peaceful protests" were fake, and that lootings were planned.

Either way, law enforcement partners would be on hand to address the situation, they said.

Members of the public are requested to follow Costa Mesa's curfew for their safety and the safety of law enforcement, who is actively monitoring the situation, according to police spokeswoman Roxi Fyad.

"We ask that the public stay out of the north end area of the city while we are monitoring activities," Fyad said.

On Monday, a 6 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. curfew was declared in Anaheim, with only travel for work, emergencies, credentialed media or homeless people exempt.

Protests were held at Anaheim's La Palma Park on Monday, where 200 protesters gathered. Another protest was expected to begin around 5 or 6 p.m., near city hall, according to Sgt. Shane Carringer of the Anaheim Police.

A plea went out to all in Orange County from Supervisor Andrew Do when it comes to destruction and looting.

Do, the supervisor of the first district in Orange County and an Asian American and former refugee, spoke out against the looting in Santa Ana this weekend.

While he empathized with the hurting about prejudice and mistreatment of people of color in our culture, he also decried the looting and destruction of Santa Ana.

"I know you're mad. I'm mad too," Do said. "Please make your voices heard in a way that doesn't tear the already fragile livelihoods of our small businesses out of their hands. Our communities must rally together with peace, love and open dialog on how to implement changes and not through violence."

On social media, business owners pleaded with protesters to leave family businesses alone.

After a Sunday full of protests, there was no curfew for Monday night in Huntington Beach.

A group of protesters gathered under the Huntington Beach Pier Sunday, but were ordered to leave after police declared the gathering a unlawful assembly. When fights broke out, the crowd was dispersed by officers, according to a police officer.

"Police saw fights breaking out among the protesters," Huntington Beach police spokeswoman Officer Angela Bennett said. Officers say that they saw weapons of an undetermined sort in the crowd, according to Bennett.

"Demonstrators started blocking traffic on Pacific Coast Highway and so we decided to disperse the crowd," she said.

The demonstration started about 11:30 a.m. and was declared an unlawful assembly at 1 p.m., Bennett said.

"The crowd has mostly dispersed," Bennett continued. "We still have small groups of protesters walking through the downtown area but they are being monitored by police."

Business operators along Main Street were boarding up windows.

Among them was the Wet Dog Tavern, which had the words, "local minority-owned business" scrawled on plywood placed in front of it, the Orange County Register reported.

Not all protests have led to violence, as peaceful methods of communication occurred in San Clemente and Temecula. All remain watchful, and hopeful for cooler heads to prevail, as the third night of protests loom.

City News Service contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on the Los Alamitos-Seal Beach Patch