Law and order will only get you so far, apparently. L.A. Police Commission President Matt Johnson told TMZ on Monday that he was 'in favor of' the ongoing defacement of President Trump's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, laughing and adding, "I'm definitely in favor of getting rid of the star." We reached out to the L.A. Police Commission for comment but did not immediately hear back.
Trump's star on the Walk of Fame has been targeted several times since he began his 2016 campaign, with street artist Plastic Jesus erecting a mini-border wallaround the star, and one disgruntled citizen going at it with a sledgehammer. Johnson was elected to head the L.A. Police Commission in 2015, and has worked to improve the department's community relations by collecting public feedback about the LAPD's body-camera footage release policy. It's probably unwise to take Johnson's off-the-cuff TMZ "interview" as an official LAPD endorsement of this activity, but we wouldn't put it past the next would-be Trump-star destroyer to try.
Update [2:40 p.m.]: It appears that Johnson doesn't actually think the star should be vandalized, per a statement emailed to LAist this afternoon. "Walking out of a restaurant last night, I made some flippant comments to a TMZ reporter that were certainly not meant to be taken seriously. I regret the comments—because while I may have my disagreements with the President, I of course do not condone vandalism or any other criminal act. If individuals are inclined to protest him or his policies, there are far more appropriate and effective means of doing so," Johnson said.
