Although parts of the city looked normal, protesters were out and many store owners had boarded up their windows. Santa Monica was quiet after dark, but there were protests in downtown Los Angeles, and police made a number of arrests.

When Latora Green first decided to protest outside the Sherman Oaks Galleria on May 31, she couldn’t have anticipated how her life was about to change. Black Lives Matter protests were happening all throughout the country in response to George Floyd’s death at the hands of police officers, with many happening in different neighborhoods of L.A. “I came out here [to protest] when it happened to George Floyd, but I didn’t stop,” said Green. “It’s bigger than that...I did it because it keeps happening. It’s sad, it’s disgusting, and we’re saying ‘enough is enough’.”

The Armenian community in Los Angeles organized a protest in response to sharp escalation in decades-long conflict with Azerbaijan over Artsakh, also known as Nagorno-Karabakh. Although Artsakh is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, it is governed independently as a presidential republic and operates de facto as part of Armenia.

Acclaimed hip-hop artist Dom Kennedy released his 7th studio album, Rap N Roll, on Sept. 25, 2020. A behind the scenes look at his music video for the long “Bootleg Cable.”

As the 2016 presidential election was nearing its final stretch, anxiety and depression crept back into Gabriel Encinas’ existence. “Trump's run for president triggered painful memories. The bullying killed my heart to the core and still does. I was devastated at the election results. Everything I am, all my rights, my own existence is being taken away from me,” said Encinas.

A group of civil rights advocates including The National Lawyers Guild, Black Lives Matter and Los Angeles Community Action Network are suing the City of Los Angeles, alleging that they violated peoples rights to protest and used excessive force while enforcing curfews last week.

Santa Monica residents helped clean up the mess left by gangs of looters, and within a week, the boarded up storefronts were home to a variety of colorful images, and mostly optimistic messages.

Peaceful protesters marched through Santa Monica, on Sunday, May 31, 2020. Later, looters converged in the downtown shopping area and broke into stores and stole merchandise.

Thousands protest the death of George Floyd, on Friday, May 30, 2020, in Los Angeles, Calif.

Downtown Los Angeles was the scene of protests over the death of George Floyd, on Thursday, May 28, 2020, in Los Angeles, Calif.