Late Night Dining, Looting, and Pillaging (Part One)

*This entry is a real time, first person excerpt, penned on the side of the 101 freeway on the outskirts of Los Angeles, by hand with an old Bic pen and a pad of yellow notebook paper, sometime between the hours of 9 PM and 2 AM. It is dated May 26, 2020, one day after George Floyd was killed and major American cities were rife with protest and riot.

I’m driving through Los Angeles tonight, on my way back from a quick, socially distanced business trip to San Diego. It’s the second eve of nationwide protests after Floyd’s murder. The City of Angels is buzzing with dystopian mood. The northbound Interstate 5 overpasses are packed with Orange County police clad in black riot gear prepping to meet protestors in Anaheim. On the northbound 101, a fleet of black and white police cars and National Guard armored transports are closing all the on ramps and off ramps near or around West Hollywood, where protests have sparked looting.