A leader of a union representing striking hotel workers asserted on Wednesday that a lawsuit filed in Beverly Hills, claiming citizen noise complaints regarding early-morning protests, infringes upon the picketers’ constitutional right to free speech.
The public nuisance complaint was filed against Unite Here! Local 11 in the Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday. The city is seeking a court order to direct the demonstrators to limit their protests between the hours of 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. The lawsuit argues that the protesters have been using drums and bullhorns as early as 5:30 a.m. outside the Beverly Hilton and Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills.
However, Kurt Petersen, the co-president of the union, issued a statement on Wednesday stating that the lawsuit violates the protesters’ freedom of speech.
“It is utterly outrageous that the city of Beverly Hills is utilizing its resources to suppress the constitutionally protected protest activity of low-wage immigrant workers,” read the statement. “These workers are the ones responsible for the functioning of luxury hotels and they are simply striving for a fair wage. Instead of attacking them with unfounded lawsuits, the city should be assisting them in achieving a better standard of living.”
Meanwhile, the city claims that nearby residents have reported not only shouting and screaming, but also the blowing of whistles in the area of Wilshire and Santa Monica Boulevards. When the Beverly Hills police conducted an investigation, the protesters, except for union representatives, including Lorena Lopez, refused to identify themselves, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit further states that on July 24, the City Manager Nancy Hunt-Coffey spoke with another union leader named Sol, who conveyed that the drum beating was disturbing residents across the street, including children who were home for the summer.
Upon asking Sol to delay the demonstrations until 8 a.m. and to cease the drum beating, Sol responded with a vague affirmation that the city manager interpreted as an agreement to comply, the lawsuit reveals.
Two days later, Captain Giovanni Trejo of the Beverly Hills Police Department visited the area and spoke with Lopez, requesting her to cease the noisy protests before 8 a.m., according to the lawsuit.
“While she expressed that she would consider the request, she did not commit to complying,” the complaint states.
On the same day, the police responded to complaints from the Beverly Hilton staff and security about aggressive confrontations, blown bullhorns near their ears, blocked traffic, and up-close screaming, the lawsuit alleges. The following day, protesters reportedly breached a barrier and injured a security guard.
The protests have persisted, with individuals still showing up as early as 5:30 a.m. and using drums and bullhorns, according to the lawsuit.
