After anti-Armenian flyers were found in Beverly Hills last month, Beverly Hills and Glendale officials are planning an outreach campaign to fight intolerance. (photo courtesy of the city of Beverly Hills)

Beverly Hills Mayor Lili Bosse, Beverly Hills Police Department Chief Mark Stainbrook and other city leaders met with Glendale officials and Armenian advocates on Feb. 10 to discuss the anti-Armenian flyers found in Beverly Hills on Jan. 28, and how the two cities can stop such incidences from occurring again.

Along with Glendale Mayor Ardy Kassakhian, city manager Roubik Golanian and Police Chief Manny Cid, the officials reflected on how the two cities can collaboratively educate the public on issues of hate, intolerance and injustice.

“As a city that always speaks out against hate, I am so proud to stand with our colleagues and friends to say it must stop,” Bosse said. “Hate speech can lead to violence, and so we must fight it at every opportunity.”

“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,” Kassakhian said. “Our cities agreed to collaborate on opportunities for public engagement that demonstrate a strong commitment to stopping hateful acts.”

Armenian community leaders from local and national organizations detailed how targeted attacks on Armenian institutions have been rising across California.

“Armenian-Americans are outraged by this latest act of hate directed against our community,” Armenian National Committee of America National Board member Zanku Armenian said. “[This] meeting with … Beverly Hills representatives is an important first step in starting a dialogue to confront hate against all communities, including the Armenian community.”

Beverly Hills and Glendale officials are still finalizing details about activities they hope to announce in the coming months, deputy city manager Keith Sterling said.

BHPD Capt. Giovanni Trejo said the department is continuing to investigate the anti-Armenian flyer drops, and gathering data about similar incidents from federal partners.