Hollywood protest: Massive demonstration draws thousands demanding justice after death of George Floyd
Los Angeles County again had a curfew that took effect at 6 p.m.
HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Thousands of protesters turned up in Hollywood Tuesday afternoon for a second day to demand justice following the in-custody death of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.
The demonstration began around noon near the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street. Rapper YG posted about the protest on his Instagram Story, in which he also stated "no looting allowed." However, the rapper took to Twitter an hour before its scheduled start to say that he would not be present.
"I was told today that my protest was not safe and that people could get hurt or shot, and I'm not trying to get none of people hurt or shot," he said in a video, adding that a protest would be held later "the right way."
Still, plenty showed up and the group quickly grew in size. At one point, two different large bodies of protesters were covering extensive ground across the area. It appeared that both groups were trying to coordinate and form into one with the intention of ending up at the LAPD Hollywood Division building.
Even with the crowd sizes, the event remained mostly peaceful throughout the day.
After curfew, protesters spell BLM with their bodies on Hollywood rooftop
Los Angeles County again had a curfew that took effect at 6 p.m. Dozens of protesters remained on the streets in the Hollywood area after that. Police appeared to be slowly taking some of them into custody. One group of protesters was seen lying down in the street waiting to be arrested.
On a nearby rooftop, another group was lying down to form the letters "BLM," for Black Lives Matter.
One protester had a message for President Donald Trump, who has derided many governors as "weak" and demanded tougher crackdowns on burning and stealing among some demonstrations in the aftermath of violent protests in dozens of American cities.
"President Trump I'm talking to you, up in the White House, you should be defending us. You should be defending our right to peacefully protest, because Second Amendment isn't the only one. There's the first one before that. That's the freedom of speech, assembly and press," he said.
The president has also urged governors to deploy the National Guard, which he credited for helping calm the situation Sunday night in Minneapolis.
RELATED: President Trump calls governors 'weak,' urges crackdown on protests
The California National Guard arrived Monday after several non-violent protests in the area turned chaotic as some individuals, who did not appear to be involved in the protests, began looting. More than 100 people were arrested.
On Tuesday, guardsman were seen stationed on a side street Hollywood, blocking off routes to keep the protesters in a concentrated areas. LAPD officers were set up along a nearby street to also direct the group, but the situation seemed to remain peaceful.
City and county authorities hailed the generally peaceful posture of the vast majority of people protesting the death of Floyd, and attributed the waves of destruction that occurred to "opportunists'' taking advantage of demonstrations to loot and vandalize.
