Earlier tonight, police in Los Angeles began arresting a small group of protesters outside the mayor’s residence, hours after curfew.
Many protesters still sat on the ground, hands raised, chanting “Peaceful protest,” CNN Correspondent Kyung Lah said at the scene.
“One by one, you see two officers moving forward. You can see two officers moving forward, bowing, asking protesters to stand up, turning around, putting their hands behind them, and then they are taken away,” Lah said.
When the protesters were taken away, the remaining crowd sat on the ground cheering for them. The arrested protesters then lined up on the wall, where they gave information to police and were taken out for further processing elsewhere, Lah said.
Compared to the quarrels and arrests that took place in other parts of the country, this scene is very calm and orderly – in line with the peaceful tone of protest throughout the day.
“We have been here for hours with these protesters. It is very peaceful. We have not seen any signs in the main protest groups of any looting. There have been several reports of looting but they don’t seem to be together with these protest groups,” said Lah.
“They support each other. The people in the apartments and houses they passed by have run out of water to give them water, encouraging them to keep going.”
Hundreds arrested: The Los Angeles Police Department has arrested hundreds of protesters, spokesman Tony Im said.
Protests took place in various parts of the city and district today, including Hollywood, Downtown Los Angeles, and the residential neighborhood of Hancock Park, where Mayor Eric Garcetti lives.
