Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas attend rally to save historically black church

Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas have joined the long list of celebrities making an effort to stand alongside the Black Lives Matter movement in the wake of the killing of George Floyd and the marches, rallies and peaceful protests that have erupted since. The couple showed up at a rally in the Los Angeles neighbourhood of Oakwood, near Venice Beach to show their support for a local church under threat of demolition.The First Baptist Church of Venice has historical significance for the Black community in the area. The building has stood as a landmark since 1910 but was sold to developers three years ago after it fell into disuse in 2015. The current plan is to convert the church into a family home for media tycoon Jay Penske, who owns Variety magazine. Because of its significance to locals, many of whom are black, the property has been enveloped in the larger Black Lives Matter movement and the protests that the movement has been leading as of late but smaller rallies to save the church have been going on for years.[video_embed id='1969215']RELATED: Trevor Noah, Lizzo, Rihanna and more lend their voices to anti-racist chorus[/video_embed]Affleck and de Armas attended the latest demonstration on June 2 with handmade signs supporting both the building, its importance to the community and Black Lives Matter. A local activist organization caught the couple on-camera, thanking Affleck for showing up. Affleck, a friend of the actor told People, “wants to continue to be a model for his children. They talk about these important issues."

March for #GeorgeFloyd in #Venice today. Blessed to have @BenAffleck express awareness and concern for the local Historic Black Community in #VeniceBeach that has been long ignored and obstructed by local politicians, LAPD, and commerce bullies. #SaveVenice #DefendOakwood pic.twitter.com/Y1yLOn07GW

— Save Venice (@savexvenice) June 2, 2020

Protests in Los Angeles have led police to impose a curfew on the city that the LA Sheriff says will not be lifted until the demonstrations stop. “The curfew will continue on a daily basis until the organized protests are gone,” said County Sheriff Alex Villanueva. “Unfortunately, the looters and the organized criminal element that’s embedded within the looting, they’re taking advantage of that situation. But it’s two different groups,” he clarified, “we have the protesters, who are legitimately doing a good job, and then we have the looter crowd. So we’re definitely trying to separate the two.”[video_embed id='1969662']RELATED: The Social hosts share their platform with black colleagues and friends[/video_embed]