Morning Briefing: 2020, Part Two

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Despite the cancellation of public fireworks, this weekend – as many of us probably know firsthand – still saw displays exploding in neighborhoods across the city.

But as some were celebrating, others were taking a moment for reflection. In a Sunday Sermon, Janaya Future Khan, a leader in the Black Lives Matter movement, spoke about what the Fourth of July means at this moment in time.

“When America claimed independence, they did so with the reality of enslavement around them,” Khan said. “[Now] for the first time, many of us are challenging the old American gods. We are looking at the American tenets of greed, of individualism, we’re looking at the celebration of the country as a whole and we’re trying to figure out what it means and what our place is in it.”

Hopefully, the stories you read on our pages and hear on our airwaves will help guide your journey in some small way.

Keep reading for more on what’s happening in L.A. today, and stay safe out there.

— Jessica P. Ogilvie

Coming Up Today, July 6

There have been a number of unconfirmed reports of LAPD officers not wearing masks, despite a May 14 memo requiring them to do so. Emily Elena Dugdale investigates.

The budget crisis is leading the state to withhold some funding for California community colleges. Adolfo Guzman-Lopez examines how this drastic measure might affect enrollment.

Summer camp activities move online, the Motion Picture Academy presents a family-friendly animation panel, writer Colson Whitehead sits down for a chat, and more. Christine N. Ziemba has this week’s best online and IRL events.

Take Two producer Austin Cross reflects on what it really takes to amplify Black voices. He writes: "During this time, when the voice of Black America is too loud for any newsroom to ignore, it is my prayer that the practice of journalism will not emerge from this chapter unchanged.”

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The Past 24 Hours In LA

Covid Numbers: L.A. County health officials confirmed 7,232 new cases of COVID-19 for Thursday, Friday and Saturday. (The county's daily reports had been delayed by a data system upgrade.) Friday marks the highest report of single-day new cases to date with 3,187.The county reported 30 new deaths, but noted that the number is an undercount as "reported deaths are pending verification."

L.A. Protests: Demonstrators from local Native American tribes gathered near Olvera Street on Saturday to support the Black Lives Matters movement, and to remind Angelenos that Native people thrived in the area we now call Southern California hundreds of years before Spanish colonizers arrived and enslaved original inhabitants.

The Air We Breathe: Air quality reached hazardous levels in parts of Southern California on Sunday, as 4th of July fireworks pollutants stuck around even longer than usual, thanks to stagnant weather conditions Saturday night. These conditions came to fruition despite Mayor Eric Garcetti’s cancellation of public fireworks, and the fact that any type of use is illegal.

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Photo Of The Day

The Reyes Family, attending a protest for Indigenous people's rights in downtown.

(Sharon McNary/LAist.com)

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