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SEE IT: Same Day L.A. Mayor Says ‘Avoid Gatherings’ For July 4th, LAPD Posts Photo Of Thousands Gathered For Protest

   DailyWire.com
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti speaks during Unhoused: Addressing Homelessness in California at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, CA on Thursday, February 13, 2020. The program was at the USC Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy and USC Price Center for Social Innovation. (Photo by Paul Bersebach/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images)
Paul Bersebach/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images

On the same day that Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti (D) posted a series of warnings to residents about maintaining mandated social distancing measures, including wearing face masks and avoiding gatherings with “anybody except for those you live with,” the Los Angeles Police Department posted a photograph of thousands gathered in the city for a social justice protest.

On Wednesday, Garcetti, whose profile photo on Twitter is now a picture of him wearing a black face mask, posted a series of reminders and warnings ahead of the July Fourth weekend.

“COVID-19 has taken control, and we need to take control back. That’s what we did in March, April and May, when we sacrificed, stayed safer at home and saved lives — we need that same commitment to flatten the curve now,” the Democratic mayor wrote in one of several COVID-19 themed posts (below). “We were the first major city to require face coverings, and we must continue to wear them,” he added in another tweet. “Gathering with anybody except for those you live with may spread this virus. And that’s why more businesses and places where people gather indoors are closing or must operate differently.”

“This 4th of July weekend, please wear face coverings and avoid gatherings,” he wrote in a post pinned to the top of his page. “This is a critical time in our fight against COVID-19. Beaches, piers, and beach bike paths in the City and County of L.A. will be closed from Friday, July 3 to Monday, July 6.”

“We will begin posting the COVID threat level at Coronavirus.LACity.org/ThreatLevel using the colors red, orange, yellow, and green. Today we’re at orange — the risk of infection remains high and you should stay at home as often as you can and only leave for essential activities,” Garcetti warned residents in another post. Prior to that post, Garcetti noted that the risk level had become high enough that California Gov. Gavin Newsom had “announced that indoor dining at restaurants is no longer allowed in our county.”

On the same day Garcetti was ordering residents to stay home, LAPD posted a photo and subsequent traffic advisory that one local reporter noted has resulted in blowback for officials.

“LAPD is monitoring a peaceful protest between City Hall and the Hall of Justice,” Commanding Officer Rick Stabile tweeted Wednesday along with an image of thousands gathered for the protest. “Please adhere to social distancing protocols,” Stabile added.

“TRAFFIC ADVISORY: There is a protest in the area of Temple and Spring Street in Downtown LA,” LAPD HQ posted regarding the massive protest Wednesday evening. “Please avoid the area, if possible, as there are street closures and heavier traffic than usual.”

“LAPD just posted this photo of people protesting tonight,” wrote KTLA’s Christina Pascucci, as noted by Twitchy. “People are messaging me, asking how this is allowed, with no social distancing, when hours ago Governor [Newsom] said we shouldn’t even see our family for a July 4th gathering this weekend, unless we live with them.”

Ahead of his series of warnings about maintaining mandated social distancing measures on Wednesday, Garcetti also pledged the city’s support for the focus of the protests: social justice and radical police reform.

“We cannot let this moment come and go without positive change in our cities and our country,” he tweeted Wednesday. “We must reform policing and further invest in wealth building and health building in the Black community.”

Some of Garcetti’s Wednesday posts below:

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