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LAPD Used New Strategy in Lakers Celebration Tomfoolery
As seen Sunday night in downtown (AP Photo/ Philip Scott Andrews)
Despite the unruly celebratory behavior witnessed, the crowd control Sunday night after the Lakers win was considered a success by the LAPD, reported the LA Times. A new tactic was to "remove the rabble-rousers, push larger crowds into marginal areas and chase smaller groups until they disperse" in order to limit injuries and property damage all while not reviving the horrid use of force images from the May Day Melee in 2007.
When revelers were chaotic after the 2000 Lakers win, the police were criticized for not responding with force, which led to scenes such as May Day and the Democratic Convention.
We like the non-escalation, more peaceful tactic--we just hope that the department analyzes what happened and how to improve their reaction for next time so even less damage is done.