Beverly Hills Mayor Lili Bosse, City Manager Nancy Hunt-Coffey, and Police Chief Mark Stainbrook traveled to Glendale on Feb. 10 to meet with Glendale city representatives and leaders from the local and national Armenian community to discuss the recent anti-Armenian flyers that were distributed in the city of Beverly Hills.
“As a city that always speaks out against hate, I am so proud to stand with our colleagues and friends today to say, it must stop,” said Mayor Lili Bosse. “Hate speech can lead to violence and so we must fight it at every opportunity.”
Bosse, Hunt-Coffey and Stainbrook were joined by Glendale Mayor Ardy Kassakhian, City Manager Roubik Golanian and Police Chief Manny Cid at Glendale City Hall to reflect on the recent anti-Armenian incidents and how the cities can actively work together on educating the public on issues of hate, intolerance and injustice.
“It is only by uniting in our pledge to prevent hostility toward any community that we will succeed in ensuring the safety of our society,” said Glendale Mayor Ardy Kassakhian. “Today, our cities agreed to collaborate on opportunities for public engagement that demonstrate a strong commitment to stopping hateful acts.”
Following the meeting at City Hall, Beverly Hills representatives met with a group of local and national Armenian community representatives to listen to their concerns. The Armenian leaders shared details on the increasing trend of targeted attacks on Armenian institutions in California. Beverly Hills leaders acknowledged the gravity of these incidents while also sharing stories of hate in Beverly Hills, including recent antisemitic acts and the devastating impact they have on members of the community.
“Armenian-Americans are outraged by this latest act of hate directed against our community,” remarked Armenian National Committee of America National Board Member ZankuArmenian. “Today’s meeting with city of Beverly Hills representatives is an important first step in starting a dialogue to confront hate against all communities, including the Armenian community.”
The Beverly Hills Police Department continues to gather evidence and intelligence related to the posting of anti-Armenian flyers in the city and remains committed to following all leads.
