'George Floyd' Lights Up Beverly Hills City Hall

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — Thousands of protesters have now marched through Beverly Hills demanding that America say the name “George Floyd.”

Now Beverly Hills has beamed his name in the sky. On Monday and Tuesday night, “George Floyd” emblazoned the ornate Art Deco tower of Beverly Hills City Hall.

“The incident in Minneapolis that took the life of George Floyd was absolutely horrible to witness,” said Mayor Lester Friedman. “Let us honor George Floyd’s memory by being together in solidarity with the African-American community and moving this country forward where hatred has no place.”

At a Friday meeting, the Beverly Hills City Council also observed the customary eight minutes, 46 seconds of silence to memorialize the period of time that Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin placed his knee over Floyd’s neck. Floyd died that day.

The council met on Friday for its first formal meeting since the protests began to ratify the city’s second State of Emergency this year in light of the daily protests that have occurred in the city since Saturday, May 30.

According to a city resolution, a state of emergency means that the city manager of director of emergency services is “authorized to expend City funds without limitation on amount and without following the purchasing or bidding procedures otherwise required.”

The city declared its first, ongoing state of emergency on March 16 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Councilmember and former Mayor John Mirisch asked City Attorney Laurence Wiener why two states of emergency were necessary, and Wiener replied that a state of emergency must be enacted in response to a specific event.

Councilmember and former Mayor Julian Gold made a motion to adopt the state of emergency resolution, Councilmember and former Mayor Lili Bosse seconded it, and it passed unanimously.

Though that resolution was the only agenda item, Mirisch used public comment time to advocate that an independent auditor complete a “full, thorough, and transparent” review of the Beverly Hills Police Department’s use of force policies.

“I think we should take a look at Campaign Zero [a police reform campaign advocated by Black Lives Matter],” said Mirisch. “I actually asked [BHPD Assistant Police Chief Marc Coopwood] to look at which of the Campaign Zero campaign are already our policies, either defacto or actually in writing, and look to incorporate those that are not.”

Mirisch also advocated looking into reforming POBAR – the Public Safety Officers Bill of Rights, legislation intended to protect law enforcement from investigation and prosecution – and setting in motion an independent review of abuses within law enforcement.

Bosse and Vice Mayor Robert Wunderlich both made similar recommendations. Wunderlich suggested that an internal auditor review the BHPD’s policies, and that the BHPD adopt the “8 Can’t Wait” police reforms that are reported to reduce police violence by 72 percent.

Bosse said that she and every member of the council have spoken with the mayor and police department to look into reform. “This is not one or two councilmembers,” Bosse said. “I am positive this is a unanimous direction, and I wanted to put that on the record.”

Friedman said that he has asked the police chief to examine their use of force and intervention policies, and said that he supported the 8 Can’t Wait.

Beverly Hills Police Interim Chief Dominick Rivetti and Assistant Chief Marc Coopwood were both present at the meeting, but did not say anything.

Though no official agenda item has been released yet, it appears the city is moving forward with this recommendation. On Monday, Beverly Hills posted a graphic of the eight policies recommended to reduce police violence, including: banning chokeholds and strangleholds; requiring warning before using deadly force; and requiring that all force be reported, among others.

“The City of Beverly Hills embraces the need for public discussion and transparency regarding use of force by law enforcement. The City Council has already requested a review of department policies and is committed to hearing from community members and other stakeholders about your concerns and suggestions regarding use of force,”the post said.

The post also encouraged residents to make recommendations through the city’s online Trust and Innovation Portal.

The Beverly Hills Police Department has not returned Patch’s calls for comment.