On eve of anti-Trump protests, downtown L.A. curfew turns night-life hub into ghost town

Los Angeles Times

a day ago

On a game night in Los Angeles, 10-year-old Boomtown Brewery in the Arts District can host 500 fans just five minutes walking distance from the Dodger Stadium shuttle at Union Station.
With the Dodgers hosting their archrival San Francisco Giants over the weekend, one might expect the cavernous brew hall with its giant projection screens to be packed with revelers.
But ever since Tuesday, the only long line was the stretch of unused parking meters that formed a perimeter around the brewery.
That's because an indefinite 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew imposed on downtown Los Angeles following days of immigration enforcement demonstrations has turned this nightlife hub into a practical ghost town.
Now, instead of customers belting out their favorite songs at Friday Karaoke, the establishment is shuttered while city officials prepare for a day of widespread protests against Trump administration policies Saturday.
The curfew covers most of Chinatown, Skid Row and the Fashion and Arts districts from the 5 Freeway to the 110 Freeway and from the 10 Freeway to where the 110 and 5 freeways merge.
Along with area bars and restuarants, civic institutions and art organizations have also been affected. The Los Angeles Philharmonic's Seoul Festival canceled its final performance on Tuesday and the Mark Taper Forum canceled productions of Hamlet on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Center Theatre Group released an update Wednesday saying they received an exemption from the mayor's office to continue its performances, not counting Saturday, which will be closed for the so-called 'No Kings' demonstrations.
Iconic Angels Flight, the over-100-year-old funicular cable car, is moving its final service from 10 p.m. to 8 until the curfew ends.
Inside Boomtown, marketing manager Nick Gingold was pleased to see a gathering of about 20 regulars who stopped by Wednesday at 6 p.m.
The brewery became aware of the curfew via social media and Mayor Bass' televised announcement Tuesday, shortly after 4 p.m.
'I don't think we actually received an official notice from the city, as far as I know,' Gingold said.
The mayor's office did not respond to questions about whether it provided curfew notices.
The brewery amended its closing time to 7:30 p.m., meaning it shuttered 2 1/2 hours early on Tuesday and Wednesday. That same early closing bell will cut the brewery operating time in half on Thursdays and leave only 4 1/2 of the regularly-scheduled 11 hours for business on Fridays.
Gingold said the closure would sting Boomtown but didn't want to speculate on revenue losses.
Boomtown is not alone in changing its hours.
Angel City Brewery, also located in the Arts District, has amended its normal 4 p.m. to midnight weeknight schedule. The brewery posted on Instagram that it was closing Wednesday and Thursday at 7 p.m. though it opened at 1 p.m. on Thursday.
Chinatown's Melody Lounge went one step further, announcing on Instagram that it was temporarily closing its doors throughout the curfew's duration.
'It's been a rough few years for Los Angeles with the pandemic, the shutdown, film industry strikes and now this,' Gingold said. 'Let me be clear, we support our Latino community throughout this time and stand with them.'
Boomtown posted on Instagram on Tuesday that the store promised to stay open 'as long as it's safe to do so' to serve as a meeting place for the community.
'We celebrate diversity and reject divisiveness. We celebrate immigrants and reject hate and we support our neighbors,' one post noted.
Chris Dombos, a special effects artist who lives in the Arts District, found his way into Boomtown, appreciative of the brewery's solidarity.
'This is a time of rising fascism where a city like Los Angeles, built by immigrants, is under attack and needs allies,' said Dombos, 44, who has observed some of the protests.
Dombos, 44, described the curfew as a political stunt and called on the mayor's office to investigate the 'brutal tactics' by Los Angeles police officers. He said constant flyovers by authorities have been 'terrorizing' the neighborhood.
Sarah Carmean, who enjoyed a light draft at Boomtown, lamented with service-industry employees missing tips or hours.
'These are the people who really lose out with the curfews,' she said. 'They are dependent on that money to pay bills.'
Chef Genevieve Gergis, owner of acclaimed restaurants Bestia and Bavel in the Arts District, called the curfew 'a broad and vague overreach' and criticized city leadership.
She said neither of her restaurants were anywhere near protests and she only heard of the curfew from television.
'The lack of guidance for small businesses and those who work in the area are being swept up in this blanket policy with no explanation or details,' she wrote in an email. 'This sudden, unexplained action feels like it was enacted without any care or consideration.'
Mina Park, co-owner and chef at Baroo, the Los Angeles Times 2024 Restaurant of the Year, said she closed her modern Korean eatery on Wednesday in the wake of the curfew and was still trying to plan out what to do.
'We have a lot of cancellations and concerns because of the protests and the curfew,' she said. 'It's hard to run a business with this uncertainty.'
Park said she'll likely have to throw out some fresh food, but also didn't feel she could complain much.
'Having to close for a couple of days is nothing compared to what so many families are going through,' she said of the ICE raids. 'It's really hard to see what's happening with the community.'