My daughter was about 3 weeks old. My son was 4 yrs old. My husband had to fly to England for work, a week earlier. My mom was going to come down and help the following week. The first afternoon of the riots, I was picking up my son from preschool, and we stopped at a park in Venice Beach. Some people were watching the verdict on a tv, in the outdoor cafe/bar nearby. As we walked by, a small crowd was forming around the TV. I poked my head in, and saw the newscaster discussing the unrest outside the courthouse. That was in south Central LA, and SEEMED very far away.
As we walked home , along the boardwalk, I noticed an edgy tension. Venice is a very diverse town. Very multicultural but things were always pretty cool. But it was suddenly very tense. I hurried my son back to the house and ran into my nervous neighbor. Her husband had called from Hollywood, and said the riots were breaking out. He was on his way home, but wanted her to go to his brothers house nearby. She said I should come, but I said no. I had all the newborns stuff there, too much to try and pack it up. I felt fine about staying home.
A few hours later, I was cowering in the bathroom, huddled with the kids, both crying, as bricks were being hurled onto the front porch. One of the neighbors houses had been set on fire, and the neighbors had to use hoses to try and put it out. Another neighbor had a home invasion, and was robbed. I think we weren't broken into because my big dog was barking at the front door. But it was a crazy night in Venice Beach. I had lived there for years, with no serious issues.
I left the next morning, and took a tense trip by car to a friends house in Ventura. It was scary as I left town because the street lights were out and people were driving erratically. No one wanted to be sitting at a red light and be pulled from their car, as some had been the night before. So it was scary. And when I was trying to get to the fwy, I saw several roving gangs of thugs, looking for targets. Luckily I was driving sa beat up VW, so no one took much notice of me.
But when I saw that man, Mr Cohen, being surrounded by those 'peaceful protestors' last Saturday, it really triggered old memories. That is exactly what happened during the riots. But the car windows would be smashed,and driver was often pulled from the car, and beaten and robbed.
