The new light display will project images of hostages taken by Hamas while the flag display will commemorate lives lost. (photo by Edwin Folven)

The Beverly Hills City Council unanimously voted to approve a special event permit to project images of hostages taken by Hamas in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack in Israel on the side of a building located at 499 N. Cannon Drive. The project, titled “Wall of Awareness,” will show both photos of the hostages and phrases such as “Bring Them Home Now” and will be projected prominently in viewing distance from the Vanity Fair Oscars after party on the night of Sunday, March 10, and early morning of March 11. The Vanity Fair party will be held across the street, at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, and will be attended by many of Hollywood’s A-list celebrities.  

The council also voted unanimously to reinstall the flag display in Beverly Gardens Park to commemorate the victims killed in the Oct. 7 attack. The flag reinstallation will begin on March 9 and will cost approximately $150,000. 

Beverly Hills City Manager Nancy Hunt-Coffey presented the project – which was put together by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum – to the City Council on March 8. 

“It’s important to point out that this City Council has steadfastly supported Israel and fought antisemitism for many years,” Hunt-Coffey said at the beginning of the meeting. She outlined both the lighting project and flag display and their potential impacts on the city. 

During the meeting, many residents and members of the public called in or spoke in person to express their support for the request in public comments. The special meeting was well-attended by residents who applauded the council for their support. 

“Getting our residents and various people from the community to come out shows how important this is not only for the community but also for us as a council,” Councilwoman Sharona Nazarian said. “I don’t think you can find a single one of us sitting up here who is not in strong support of Israel and supporting the release of the hostages.” 

The approval was made during a special meeting following a submission originally rejected by city staff, citing the failure to meet the required timeline of submission.  

City code requires special event permits to be requested a minimum of 10 days prior to the date of the event, and this special event permit was officially filed on March 5, five days before the proposed event on March 10, according to Hunt-Coffey.  

 However, representatives from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum argued that they did not submit an application sooner because they anticipated a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas, and submitted the request as soon as they learned the deal fell through. Additionally, the city was made aware of the possibility of the event on Feb. 20, which Hunt-Coffey suggested could be considered a “pre-application.” 

“I’m not sure that I agree with any of the interpretations,” City Attorney Laurence Wiener said. However, he laid out several ways in which the city could defend its decision under legal scrutiny, including the initial email sent on Feb. 20 or the fact that the event would bring an “overriding benefit” to the city. 

Councilwoman Lili Bosse stated that she was made aware of the possibility of the event earlier, on Feb. 14, and expressed her ardent support for the project. 

“I don’t view this in any way as a breach of the code whatsoever,” Bosse said. “I think they were well ahead of their schedule … This is necessary for Beverly Hills, and I will not leave this room until we support this.” 

In addition to legal concerns, Beverly Hills Police Chief Mark Stainbrook said the project could bring challenges to the Beverly Hills Police Department. 

“If we put the flags back up it is going to be a security concern,” Stainbrook said. He said that the initial flag display saw a high number of incidents, including two arrests.   

“We had hate crime, vandalism, assault, disturbances, mental illness and obviously it was the center of some protests,” Stainbrook said. He said most of these incidents were relatively minor, but the flag display created a “potential target.” 

Stainbrook expressed particular concern over the flags being displayed during the Vanity Fair after party. 

“We’re fully staffed. Everybody who’s not working is working that event,” Stainbrook said. “That whole event brings additional security issues.” 

Despite the concerns, the City Council unanimously approved both the lighting projection and flag display. Council members highlighted the importance of the event for the Jewish community throughout Beverly Hills. 

“I think this is extremely important for us to do,” Councilman John Mirisch said. “Those 1,400 souls are gone and they will never come back. This is our way of coming together, grieving as a community, reminding ourselves and not allowing ourselves to forget. The very act of remembering is so crucial to who we are as Jews and people.”