What was billed as a demonstration Saturday night at the intersection of Santa Monica Boulevard and San Vicente Boulevard appeared to devolve into a dance party as the night wore on.
More than 100 people turned out for the event, which took place at 6:30 p.m. Saturday night and was billed as Black Lives Matter event. A social media post promoting it invited people to come and “dance for Black lives,” noting there would be dancing, a DJ, and libations. The post also declared “No Justice No Peace F-ck LASD.”
The crowd was mostly made up of young people of various ethnicities, all wearing face coverings. Some carried signs declaring Black Lives Matter and calling out issues such as the death of Dijon Kizzee, a 29-year-old Black man who died in South L.A. on Aug. 31 after Sheriff’s deputies fired 19 bullets at him. The deputies had stopped Kizzee for riding a bicycle on the wrong side of the street and alleged that he pulled a gun on them, an allegation that has been disputed. There also was a moment of silence in honor of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died on Friday.
As of 9:30 p.m., the event was still going on, with dancing in the street and demonstrators shouting at Sheriff’s deputies standing across San Vicente Boulevard in large military-looking vehicles, wearing helmets and carrying rubber bullet guns. The event appeared to have no impact on the crowd at Rocco’s, the restaurant and bar on the southwest corner of Santa Monica and San Vicente, where tables on the sidewalk outside were filled with those drinking and dining. The outdoor dining zone just east of the intersection in front of Z Pizza and Fiesta Cantina also was full, with diners seemingly unaware or unconcerned about the event at the nearby intersection.
The demonstration/dance party did have an impact on traffic, with Metro buses that normally crossed Santa Monica Boulevard having to take alternate routes and the Sheriff’s Station blocking access to Santa Monica at both Hancock Avenue and Robertson Boulevard.
I cannot believe what I’m seeing here this is a complete disgrace. City Council stand up and say something. We are not allowed to go inside of bars and restaurants and this is happening in our streets. I’ve asked you before and I’m asking you again all five city council members please step down so you can be replaced on November 3. You’re inaction has been unbelievably destructive to the city of West Hollywood and some of these damages we can never repair. I am going to post this on social media and show the disgrace our city has become.… Read more »
“In 30 years of living here I never thought I would see anything like this in our streets.”
They were literally dancing in the street exercising their constitutional rights. What are you talking about?
Also, the county sets the rules for restaurants and bars, not the city council.
“They were literally dancing in the street exercising their constitutional rights”. That’s a good one, Would love to know who was behind/organized this “Dance for your rights” party.
This is ridiculous.. West Hollywood is not some kind of all-purpose Heterosexual Playground for straight people who do not live or work here to come in and disrupt our streets, our traffic flow, and pedestrian access to businesses. The resources such as closing off traffic should be for the annual LGBT+ Pride and maybe a very-LGBT-focused Halloween celebration, and that’s about it. The carpet-bagging, all-purpose counter-culturers who are too lazy to do any real protest or social justice work and the bachelorette parties and maskless straight entitled with delusions of reality-TV celebrity can stay home in their own neighborhoods and… Read more »
Amen
I was there. One guy held up a white bedsheet that had painted on it:
“Execute The Cops”
Those in the group seem to support that message.
If you support law enforcement you are the enemy.
The kids are alright
If Trump wins Weho is going to get destroyed by rioters.
If Trump the narcissist wins, this country will be destroyed.
Let them eat cake
LOL when Trump wins in a landslide in 5 weeks.
From your mouth to Gods ears. 🙏🏻
I am so sick of these low income people coming into our area. One look at them tells you that they can not possibly live here. They can all go back to Palmdale or what other god awful place they came from.
I’ve attend BLM marches and I live here and won’t be going anywhere 🙂
XOXO
The same commenters saying “this shouldn’t be allowed” are the SAME EXACT people that were cheering on the “walkaway” trump rally a few weeks ago. I even looked up the article here on wehoville and it’s the same people.
At least the BLM marchers wear masks and believe in science… not 8chan conspiracy theories!
The QuackAnon trolls seem quite buttocks hurt over the 1st Amendment rights of Non-whites and Women, kind of runs counter of their narrative being a silent majority in West Hollywood.🤣 “Mayor” Horvath is great on domestic social issues but, feels the need to capitulate to the interests of western imperialism and Sheriff Alex Villanueva’s death squad deputies. Opposition to extrajudicial killings by LASD is seen as a very legitimate concern that’s drawn national and international attention!
These so-called demonstrations are becoming a nuisance. Workers, who use the bus system, are inconvenienced by the selfishness of a lot of probably unemployed millennials who show up for these events as if they were hired by RevComUSA who sponsored events at the Laugh Factory’s BLM demonstrations in June. I’m surprised “Mayor” Horvath wasn’t there with John (he/him) Erickson with buckets of paint to do a number on the intersection.
Selfish? Why does this make you so upset? These are city streets built and maintained by the tax paying citizens who also have the right (as do you) to apply for a permit to celebrate, demonstrate, sit in, pray display, sing and even dance in that public space as long as it’s approved. Selfish would actually be trying to shame attempting to take away the first amendment rights that guarantee this event.
this should not be allowed.
Trump supporters don’t support the constitution now?
What has become of the GOP?!