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Local mayors condemn county-issued curfews on day of protests

On Monday Riverside County proclaimed a local emergency and issued a curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Tuesday morning. The decision was made as protesters rallied throughout the county. Two protests occurred in the Coachella Valley, and happened in the cities of Palm Desert and Palm Springs.

"Officer please, I can't breathe," "Say their names," and "George Floyd" were among the chants protesters used. They gathered to demand justice, and called for an end to systemic racism.

City leaders weighed into the curfews enforced throughout the county. Palm Springs Mayor Geoff Kors released this statement:

Coachella Mayor Steven Hernandez also criticized the curfew and tweeted out a statement, reading in part: "Sadden by curfew in Rivco. It reflects what needs fixing in this country:Some ppl view ppl of color as violent n dangerous n should b feared."

On Tuesday both mayors continued to stand by their statements.

"As a former civil rights attorney, curfews are appropriate but they have to be applied evenly. They can’t just target one group, such as protestors, so a curfew needs to apply across the board," Mayor Kors said.

He added that it's one thing if law enforcement had information of potential violence to erupt-- then curfews could be appropriate. He said in this situation, they were not.

"Peaceful protests are part of our democracy. The people who infiltrate them to create havoc and violence and harm on people's lives and property shouldn’t be tolerated," Kors said.

At the same time Mayor Hernandez also voiced his opposition.

"I think that our first amendment right is very fundamental to our country," Hernandez said.

He believed timing for the curfew was off.

"Why now?  It doesn’t make any sense. To me it just reflects again the sentiment that all of a sudden brown and black people are organizing and now let’s stop that right. So it just didn’t make sense to me," Hernandez said.

Tuesday La Quinta Mayor Linda Evans also released a statement. She supported the curfew, saying that it was an extra layer of precaution.

Her statement the day of the curfew read in part: "This curfew was set in response to several areas of rioting and looting throughout Southern California, as well as planned protests that are/will occur across Riverside County and Coachella Valley."

Evans spoke with News Channel 3 the next day.

"Seeing what transpired across our nation and in California over the weekend, it was a proactive move to now allow the rightful individuals to do a peaceful demonstration and to pay homage to George Floyd and to recognize there’s still challenges," Evans said.

The curfew and local emergency cited destruction that has come out of protests across the state and nation. Buildings and businesses have been destroyed as a product of looting.

"I also think we have an obligation as council members to keep our residents and businesses safe. As the curfew announcement that came from the county states, it was to ensure that if individuals were coming from out of the area to cause potential harm to the community, that our local residents would be safe with curfew of 6pm," Evans said.

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Shelby Nelson

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