Update from Chief Batista - Upcoming January 22nd Rally
January 20, 2022 5:24 PM
by Ramon Batista
Santa Monica Community –
On Saturday January 22, 2022 a local rally and protest against mask and vaccine mandates is scheduled to take place in the 1400 block of Ocean Avenue in Palisades Park (Ocean Avenue and Santa Monica Blvd.) between the hours of 12:00-4:00 PM. This event, will include a variety of speakers, and we are anticipating approximately 300-400 people in attendance. The organizers of this event have facilitated similar events in Santa Monica in the recent past. We did not encounter any incidents of significance then and we do not expect anything different from this event.
Our police department members are in contact with the organizers. They assured us that it is not their intention to be involved in any type of violent or criminal activity. In the name of public safety, we reminded this group about the City’s emergency ordinance prohibiting certain items in the event zone. Additionally, we will post public signs and share messages about the ordinance and those items that are prohibited. Your police department, in support of our Office Of Emergency Management, has created a comprehensive operational plan deploying a contingent of public safety resources in and around the event space. Even though we do not anticipate any significant issues, our personnel will be in the position to address criminal activity that may occur because of this incident. We will remain vigilant before, during and after the event.
Our relationships and partnerships with you are a vital component to the fabric of safety that is our community. We look forward to seeing you around town and of course would like to remind you, if you see something, say something by calling 310-458-8491 or 9-1-1 in a life-threatening emergency.
For updates related to this event, please follow us on Twitter @SantaMonicaPD
Chief Ramon Batista
Authored By
Ramon Batista
Chief of Police