Monday, June 1, 2020

Protest, Rioting, Looting Come To Silicon Beach

In a sad testament to the difficult times that have come to the United States, the heart of Silicon Beach--the Third Street Promenade and surrounding areas in Santa Monica--were hit by looting and destruction, even as peaceful groups nearby protested the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. In widely shared online video, looters broke into the REI on 4th Street, across the street from Santa Monica-based drone mapping company AirMap, and a block away from the Milken Institute and trashing the Vans store across from the office of the Preccelerator Program run by Stubbs Alderton & Markiles LLP (a sponsor of this publication). Looters also ransacked the local Vons, and the BLANKSPACES Santa Monica and Culver City location were closed, with BLANKSPACES posting a video of its location in Santa Monica vandalized on Sunday afternoon by one person who broke a door window panel with a hammer. Multiple stores were set on fire across town. (Editor's note: if you were affected by the civil unrest over the weekend, please let us know and we'll update this story).

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