Protesters, Police Face Off at South Coast Plaza
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WEDNESDAY,JUNE 3, 2020 /// Now including Coastline Pilot and Huntington Beach Independent/// dailypilot.com LOCAL GEORGE FLOYD PROTESTS Photo by Ben Brazil IN DEFIANCE of a curfew put in place after looting and rioting shook Huntington Beach and Santa Ana over the weekend, protesters square off with police at South Coast Plaza Monday night. Protesters, police face H.B. businesses reopen in off at South Coast Plaza aftermath of Floyd protest Only one person is Many downtown arrested during stores were Monday night’s boarded up Sunday hours-long standoff in anticipation of in Costa Mesa. possible looting. BY BEN BRAZIL BY MATT SZABO AND SARA CARDINE Businesses in downtown Aprotest nearly de- Huntington Beach were re- scended into violence on opening Monday, escaping Monday night after a series major damage after an ini- of tense standoffs between tially peacefulprotest Sun- police and protesters out- day afternoon was deemed side South Coast Plaza in an unlawful assembly by Costa Mesa. the Huntington Beach Po- Don Leach | Staff Photographer Don Leach | Staff Photographer Protesters originally met lice Department. at the corner of Bear Street A SMALL BUT vocal group of protesters occupy a corner Agroup of hundreds as- BUSINESS OWNERS Tamer Yleizet and Ray Hartnett, from and Sunflower Avenue of Bear Street and Sunflower Avenue in Costa Mesa. sembled for a Black Lives middle, remove plywood panels from their storefronts. across from South Coast Matter demonstration pro- Plaza at about 8 p.m. to Beach and Santa Ana over with police. testing the death of George became violent, Hunting- the protest, said many of demonstrate against racism the weekend. “It’s not us against cops, Floyd, the black man who ton Beach Police Depart- the counter-protesters and Minneapolis police of- Protesters chanted, it’s us against racists,” said died in Minneapolis on ment spokeswoman Angie were antagonistic and tried ficers’ involvement in the “Hands up, don’t shoot!” Adam Robinson, 21, of May 25 after a video Bennett said, and officers to escalate the situation, May 25 death of George and held signs like “Help I Costa Mesa. showed a white police offi- observed protesters with but he was happy that the Floyd, an unarmed black can’t Breathe” and “No one By 9 p.m., roughly 100 cer kneeling on his neck for pepper spray and weap- protest was able to take man who was under arrest. is free until all of us are protesters had gathered on- nearly nine minutes. ons. In addition, they re- place without any vandal- The protesters gathered free.” site, and the police pres- Counter-protesters also fused to leave the area and ism of property. in defiance of a second The protest began peace- ence had swelled. Officers showed up to the scene at were blocking traffic on “We know of the de- overnight curfew put in fully, with many stating in riot gear waited in the Pacific Coast Highway and PCH. struction that’s been hap- place by city officials after they hoped for a protest de- mall parking lot next to Main Street. The protest Uriel Lara, 21, a Hunting- pening in the past couple looting and rioting shook void of violence. Some was declared an unlawful ton Beach resident and one neighboring Huntington hoped to provoke solidarity See Protest, page A4 assembly after protesters of two local organizers of See Businesses, page A4 4 protests are scheduled around Newport Beach on Wednesday BY HILLARY DAVIS first planned event at noon in the post for the Back Bay-area dem- aware of all four demonstrations week found he died of asphyxia- area of MacArthur Boulevard and onstration did not give a more and had not planned any street tion caused by neck and back Newport Beach is set to see East Coast Highway, at the north- specific location. closures in advance Tuesday, said compression after a Minneapolis four protests Wednesday as the ern end of Corona del Mar; one at The posts promoted peaceful department spokeswoman police officer pinned him to the nationwide movement continues 2p.m. at Newport Pier; one at demonstrations. The one on the Heather Rangel. The city also had ground on May 25 with a knee on in response to police brutality and 5p.m. on the pedestrian bridge Civic Center Park bridge is billed not preemptively called for any the handcuffed, unarmed black the death of George Floyd in Min- over San Miguel Drive at Civic as being family-friendly, for “rais- curfews. man’s neck for several minutes. neapolis. Center Park near City Hall; and ing anti-racist kids.” An independent autopsy com- Social media posts show the one at 5 p.m. at the Back Bay. The Newport Beach police are missioned by Floyd’s family this See Newport, page A4 Fears of anticipated civil unrest postpone ALSO FROM THE DAILY PILOT: Monday’s reopening at South Coast Plaza BY SARA CARDINE WORKERS BOARD UP As Costa Mesa officials insti- a CVS tuted a second overnight curfew pharmacy on Monday after protests against Bristol Street, Minneapolis police officers’ in- right across volvement in the May 25 death of from South unarmed black resident George Coast Plaza Floyd hit neighboring Hunting- on Monday. ton Beach and Santa Ana over the weekend, fears of further looting Don Leach and rioting brought about the Staff postponement of the reopening Photographer of South Coast Plaza and concern Don Leach | Staff Photographer from neighbors and city officials. ANOTHER 100 CORONAVIRUS CASES REPORTED IN ORANGE “We are saddened by the recent Costa Mesa Planning Commis- dows at the mall’s Crystal Court. COUNTY, PUSHING TOTAL PAST 6,500 PAGE A2 events in our country and care sion Chair Byron de Arakal drove Similar precautions were being deeply for the safety and well-be- by South Coast Plaza Monday taken at nearby Shiffer Park, on COSTA MESA FIREFIGHTERS BATTLE EARLY MORNING BLAZE ing of our entire community,” morning and saw barricades on Bear Street less than one mile AT OCCUPIED COMMERCIAL BUILDING PAGE A2 mall officials stated in a message the streets leading into the shop- away from South Coast Plaza, he posted on Sunday. “Please check ping center and workers boarding MAILBAG: H.B. PROTESTERS STOOD AGAINST RACISM PAGE A3 back for updates.” up the west-facing display win- See Plaza, page A4 A2 WEDNESDAY,JUNE 3, 2020 DAILY PILOT | COASTLINE PILOT | HUNTINGTON BEACH INDEPENDENT WWW.DAILYPILOT.COM Another 100 coronavirus cases reported in O.C. BY LILLY NGUYEN them reported in inten- •85 and up: 43 dents) sive care units. To date, •75 to 84: 42 •Costa Mesa: 125 (10.8 Another 100 cases of the 2,695 patients have recov- •65 to 74: 27 cases per 10,000 residents) novel coronavirus that ered. •55 to 64: 17 •Fountain Valley: 61 causes COVID-19 were re- Males currently account •45 to 54: 13 (10.8 cases per 10,000 resi- ported in Orange County for 51% of all cases in the •35 to 44: 5 dents) Tuesday, according to county, making up 58% of •34 and younger: 3 •Laguna Beach: 46 (19.7 statistics from the county the overall deaths related Here are the latest case cases per 10,000 residents) Health Care Agency. to COVID-19. People iden- counts for select cities, Updated figures are This brings the cumula- tifying as white accounted with numbers per 10,000 posted daily at occovid19 tive total of cases in the for 18% of cumulative residents: .ochealthinfo.com/corona county to 6,574, with 717 cases, while those identi- •Santa Ana: 1,267 (37.5 virus-in-oc. of those cases being fying as Latino or His- cases per 10,000 residents) For information on get- skilled nursing facility panic made up 35% and •Anaheim: 1,120 (31.2 ting tested at one of the residents and 379 Orange Asians accounted for 8%. cases per 10,000 residents) nearly two dozen public County jail inmates. Three Atotal of 1,566 tests •Huntington Beach: clinics around the county, deaths were also reported were reported for Tuesday, 348 (17.1 cases per 10,000 visit occovid19.ochealth Tuesday, bringing the to- bringing the cumulative residents) info.com/covid-19-testing- Don Leach | Staff Photographer tal number to 150. number of tests up to •Irvine: 202 (7.2 cases and-screening. AMY AND ALLEN PHILLIPS shop on Balboa Island The number of cases 136,098 countywide. per 10,000 residents) in Newport Beach on May 26, wearing their masks as currently in hospitaliza- By age range, all pa- •Newport Beach: 144 [email protected] protection during the coronavirus pandemic. tion is 240, with 97 of tients who have died were: (16.5 cases per 10,000 resi- Twitter: @lillibirds N.B. secures $2.1M for Costa Mesa firefighters battle early morning small businesses hit blaze at occupied commercial building by pandemic fallout BY SARA CARDINE BY HILLARY DAVIS three months; and the Multiple units in a com- business has had to lay off mercial mixed-use building Small businesses in at least one of its employ- on Costa Mesa’s MacArthur Newport Beach are eligible ees. Boulevard were damaged to receive up to $10,000 in Businesses must have early Tuesday morning as federal grants to make up 20 or fewer employees. firefighters quickly extin- some of the losses suffered City staff recommends pri- guished a blaze called in by while forcibly shuttered oritizing hard-hit retail, awitness working on the during the coronavirus restaurant and personal property at the time of the pandemic. service establishments, incident. The county, acting as a specifically hair salons, Costa Mesa Fire & Res- pass-through, decided last barbershops, nail salons cue Department spokes- week to set aside $75 mil- and small gyms that pro- man Capt.