Businesses in the Fashion District and across Southern California and the rest of the country are preparing for Saturday’s “No Kings” demonstration.
Traffic from cars and pedestrians is expected to snarl the local area as protestors gather to oppose the Trump administration and the past week’s U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement raids.
Los Angeles City Mayor Karen Bass declared a state of emergency on Tuesday, rolling out a curfew in downtown Los Angeles that runs from 8 p.m. to. 6 a.m. The curfew came after some individuals aimed to take advantage of the protests to vandalize stores and engage in other crimes. The curfew remained in effect as of late Friday and it was unclear when it would be lifted.
Meanwhile, Bass on Friday released a list of resources for local businesses impacted by what the mayor’s office blamed in a media alert were the “consequences of the White House’s chaotic actions in Los Angeles.”
“For a week now, our city has been dealing with the fallout driven by reckless raids of Home Depot parking lots and the activation of federalized troops,” Bass said in a statement. “It’s clear that they have no policy or plan but to create chaos in our city. In contrast, the city is prepared to deliver for downtown businesses who have been impacted.”
A webinar was held Friday afternoon for business owners, with two more scheduled for June 16 and June 18 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. The meetings, which cover the same topics, require registration.
Information on graffiti removal, legal services, staff support and state and federal funding will be provided during those sessions.
Fashion District Bid’s Tips
The Fashion District business improvement district also released tips of its own on Friday in preparation for Saturday. The suggestions were meant for businesses in the district, but can be useful to any retailer in what the BID called an emergency situation. What follows is a condensed version of those suggestions:
- Take stock of your insurance policy and current contact information
- Take inventory and photos of stock for insurance purposes
- Remove any high-value inventory items from your store if possible and move them to a secure location
- Remove any unsecured items in front of your store that could be used to cause property damage
- Make sure security systems are enabled
- Apply graffiti coating to gates and other surfaces
- Check video surveillance equipment
- Board windows with plywood that’s at least one-quarter of an inch in thickness
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