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Videos don't tell the whole story by any means, but when the press got hit with a baton at yesterday's rally, they fought back in the only way they could -- with the news.
The LA Times also has coverage.
*UPDATE: Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton said today that some actions taken by officers trying to clear a crowd of marchers at MacArthur Park were "inappropriate" and that he has launched two investigations." More at LATimes.com.
*** 7:46pm UPDATE - Probably the best video we've seen from a citizen journalist point of view -and it includes the quote of the day - here.
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"double time? it's tussle time" That's the LAPD I know.... Thank you Mr. Bratton!!!
As I'm writing this from Buenos Aires, it's hard to imagine what the hell would happen if all the illegal Bolivians or Chinese here started violently agitating for citizenship. It certainly wouldn't be pretty; say what you want, foam bullets are a pretty mild response by world standards.
Jesus Christ, what makes anyone think that attacking police cars and buses would be an effective way of convincing someone that you deserve citizenship in their country? People risk a lot to come to the US, illegally, and their effort should be respected -- maybe even with an occasional amnesty. But what a way to shoot your cause in the foot. What's next, suicide bombings? Burning cars? People who use violence to achieve their goals -- be they presidents or illegal immigrants -- ought to be thrown out on their asses by reasonable, civil people.
Uh, Josh are you reading the same reports I was? The police forced a stand-off for no reason, got one or two bottles thrown at them and went ape-shit. Even the Police Chief said it was disturbing.
"Jesus Christ, what makes anyone think that attacking police cars and buses would be an effective way of convincing someone that you deserve citizenship in their country?"
I don't think any of that happened, unless I missed some recent developments.
What I'd like to know is did the demonstrators/gatherers/participants at MacArthur
Park get a city permit to have such a gathering? Correct me if I'm wrong but the demonstration in downtown had to have that or at least let the city know that was happening.
I'm not condoning what some police officers did to the people there in the park but LAPD went in to break up an "unlawful gathering" (so they say).
Could this have been avoided if people went through the proper channels?
Johnny,
Of course the organizers had a permit for the march. There were politicians scheduled to speak and even Cardinal Mahoney for god's sake! People were only allowed to march on the sidewalk but some of the march spilled over onto the street when trying to enter through the narrow opening entrance into the park. At this point, the cops starting rushing the crowds with their motorcycles. Yes, they charged children and mothers with hunks of motorized steel. Wouldn't you be upset?
Why can't you people accept that the cops fucked up? You all do your jobs as best as you can but have bad days right? The police too but unfortunately with them they have the power to take it out on the rest of us.
After seeing this video, my trust in law enforcement and government has dropped from 70% to 0%. This was a shameful act by LAPD Officers, and its not surprising because they are ultimately governed by Nazi Governor Arnold Swartzennager.This should insight all Americans to realize our governments power and control over its people. Our foundation of this country was to have freedom from government, not total loss of control. Our President and vice president should be arrested and tried for war crimes!
Our current administration has turned our American
flag, into a role of toilet paper and our country
into a mockery. I am ashamed to call myself an
American!
!!!!!!!!VETO BUSH NOW!!!!!!!!
In addition to my earlier post, anyone who believes their right to occupy this land, we call the United States of America should remember we weren't the rightful owners to begin with. We stole this land from the American INDIANS, burnt people at stake, in Massachusetts to protect our interests, fought the British to protect our freedom.
Now we complain when immigrants, come to this country illegally in the eye's of our laws, to sustain work to support their families. This being
said, with the exception of killing INDIANS and people we deemed as witches, our ancestry immigrated to this country for much the same reasons. I am GOD believing and believe GOD will take vengeance against anyone who feels themselves
better than our neighbors, legal or not!!!
GOD BLESS THIS COUNTRY AND LET US NOT FORGET WHAT
THIS COUNTRY IS ABOUT!!!!!!!
people who are in this country illegaly have no rights here and should be pelted with rubber bulllets and sent back home. i feel sorry for children whose parents have been deported, but their parents KNEW that there was a possibility that would happen and were probably looking for a better life for their children...but coming to another country illegaly is not the way to do it. Do what I did, don't have kids. and as for news cameras and reporters...SHUT UP. you wanted to be a reporter, now pay the price! it's retarded to put yourself in the middle of a situation like that, and for what? "well, people need to see the news" - when i want to see what's going on, i'll go have a look myself. hopefully i'll have sense enough to stay away from trouble.
amen Josh.
one of the most elloquent comments I've read on this. I'm right there with you. We're so busy blaming our selves for the problems of the world that we're in terrible danger of tossing away one of the greatest societies on this earth..
Hopefully more of us start to see this before it's too late. It's not that there aren't problems here, it's just that our problems pale in comparison to most of the rest of the worlds.. which means we're doing something right.
David, maybe your ancestry should have been pelted by arrows and rocks. Next time you decide to throw your stones, at glass houses when yours is one in the same. Just ask an American Indian. In short I am saying next time you sit on the toilet, be shore not
to whack your head on the bowl. I'm guessing you have already suffered your head injury previously for making the same mistake.
GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF THE TOILET ((((DAVID))))
sean, you are right. i am wrong, and i apologize. those words were written in anger. i'm sorry.
Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton should stop pretending he cares and fire some people for a change.
There's too many cops in this country, and most of them are uneducated little bullies who wouldn't get a job anywhere else, not even at 7 eleven because they're not smart enough for numbers...
It's very sad really. Pathetic idiots with power, what do you expect? Of course the result is NOT gonna be very good.
Looks like LAPD just cost the taxpayers another ten million bucks in lawsuits. It's still the department that Daryl Gates built.
-jcr
I just don't see how the LAPD can justify this. Free assembly is fairly well spelled out there in the bill of rights. This land is our land, etc. etc.
Funny that people keep acquiescing to "free speech zones" as if it could be zoned.
And even more ironic that it's a Fox news correspondent toeing the libertarian (vs. authoritarian) line here, and totally justified in her bewilderment. From multiple perspectives, both the mainstream media and the available amateur footage, it's hard to see where the urgent need to clear the square is. Looks like a peaceful demonstration.
Maybe people from the suburbs don't get it, but there actually are these "public spaces" where people can go and roll around and talk with strangers and wave a flag (any flag) or eat lunch, or shout, or sing, or chant, or walk through. That's part of the deal. That's why this is a nice place to live. Theoretically.
O.S.R.!!!!
www.opensourceresistance.net/
Light the spark and reclaim the country. Liberty has been mighty parched as of late...
Don't let this happen America. The governments will not take control over us.
Say what you want.
I bet when you look at countries in the Middle East throwing rocks at each other, you think - Wow, so underdeveloped and waaay behind the rest of the world.
The government can take your "free" country away faster than you can blink.
What would you do if this kept on expanding? You'd be out there throwing rocks at the police. It's funny how you think "this could never happen, we have the constitution and the bill of rights, etc..." well, they can, are and will control the people and most won't even know about it.
free country my ass
god bless america and no body else
That is just crap. Honestly, what is wrong with those officers? If someone touched me like that, I'd go absolutely insane (and probably get shot or killed for it). What right do they have to do any of that to people peacefully rallying? What were those people doing that was just so horrid that they needed to be shot and beaten down by such force? Did I miss something???
FUCK YOU LAPD!
Sad, when Politics somehow make their way into the realm of law enforcement. Apparently, some folk are just a bit too rabidly anti-"amnesty".
I am against granting people here illegally what they want, as they aren't supposed to be here anyways. I understand why they would come here, but there are proper channels to come here.
But that does NOT excuse the obvious use of excessive force and suppression of civil liberties on display in this video. Under no circumstances should a Police Officer strike a member of the media, unless said member has been observed to have broken the law. It is my firm belief that a number of these officers should be seeing jail time in the near future. They physically assaulted a large number of people in a very short amount of time.
Just remember, LAPD, even YOU are not above the law.
Just part of a trend.
Roll on Police State USA!
Sean wrote: "After seeing this video, my trust in law enforcement and government has dropped from 70% to 0%. This was a shameful act by LAPD Officers, and its not surprising because they are ultimately governed by Nazi Governor Arnold Swartzennager"
SEAN, MY MAN. IT TOOK YOU THIS LONG TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE LAPD IS ALL ABOUT? HAVE YOU BEEN ASLEEP. GOING BACK BEFORE RODNEY KING-AND MINORITIES HAVE BEEN CLAIMING THIS TYPE OF POLICE RIOT FOR A LONG TIME, ONLY TO BE POO-POOHED BY THE WHITE ESTABLISHMENT-THROUGH THE VIDEO DOCUMENTED CASES OF POLICE BRUTALITY IN LA, ON A YEARLY BASIS SINCE 1993 OR THEREABOUTS, HOW CAN YOUR FAITH HAVE BEEN SEVENTY PERCENT IN THIS YEAR, ONLY TO PLUMMET WITH THE VIDEO. MINE HAS BEEN 0% FOR YEARS, BASED ON REPORTS, DOCUMENTS VIDEOS OF POLICE ACTION AND INACTION, IN LA, BOSTON, NYC, CHICAGO, FLORIDA.[A 90+ YEAR OLD LADY WAS BLOWN AWAY BY POLICEMAN DURING A BOTCHED DRUG RAID; AFTER THIS ELDERLY PERSON DIED, THE POLICE THEN PLANTED MARIJUANA IN HER APARTMENT! LIED ON POLICE REPORTS. THE CULPRITS ONLY GOT A FEW YEARS.
I AM SURE THERE ARE 'JOSH'S' OUT THERE WHO WILL DEFEND THE POLICE, REGARDLESS.
OF COURSE, I KNOW, THERE ARE ALWAYS A FEW GOOD APPLES IN THE BARREL, BUT........
wow I always knew the POPO's were like this. Maby this is why we have so many issues in america.
i cannot believe that people find it legitimate that cities demand marches and assemblies to "go through the proper channels" to get permits. THIS IS A CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT, REGARDLESS OF LOCAL LAW.
I read so many people talk about how the government can take away this right or that right, what the American people need to understand about America's Declaration of Independence as it's own sovereign nation is: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new." This means that no government, majority or law can take away our freedoms. If you lose your freedoms it's not because government took it away from you, it's that you gave up your rights voluntarily. I am a poli-sci major working on my doctorates degree and I find it appalling that so many people see it as government instead of themselves. If you want our freedoms, you have to know them and stand up for them. Granted this goes against the status quo, and it is hard to get people to listen. But so many of you are right that we conquered this land from the Native Americans. So truly we are the invaders. But keep on fighting for your rights people, I stand with you as a freedom fighter. I have won several cases against me because of this very important document.
You should never need a permit to protest!