Please Forward
5/08/07
If the LAPD acts like this in broad daylight in front of cameras, what do
they do at night?
Groups and individuals from the community had an opportunity to confront
Police Chief Bratton and the Police Commission at Parker Center today regarding
May Day attacks by the LAPD on thousands of peaceful demonstrators in MacArthur
Park.
Some of the groups represented were recently formed group of community
activists called The Peoples Network in Defense of Human Rights, CopWatch, The
Bus Riders Union, Chirla, Caracen, Miwon, Los Angeles Federation of Labor, the
ACLU, the L.A. Community Action Network, the International Action Network, and
others.
People were very united in their opinions and demands today even though
there had been some initial discord among some of the groups. Seen as a huge
problem by many is a statement made by some of the organizers that the youth
and anarchists had been responsible for inciting the police at the event. Many
feel that statements like this that demonize and hang the youth out to dry are
extremely unfortunate; especially since many youth had been involved with the
organizing and were some of the first to reach out to protect others, suffering
hits by rubber bullets for their trouble. And even more important, pointing
fingers at people from inside the movement takes the spotlight away from the
real culprit, the LAPD. We cannot be blamed for what the cops did, said a
member of CopWatch.
The LAPD are to blame, and they are the only ones to blame; was the
overwhelming consensus at todays hearing. According to the speakers, the
police were aggressive from the start, and there were reports that they had
been rehearsing maneuvers and drills hours before the marchers even arrived at
the park.
This is the story that was told:
The peaceful and diverse march had begun at 3:pm at Vermont and 3rd. Street.
As the thousands of participants approached the park at Alvarado and 7th
Streets, the police had closed the area to traffic. Since the streets were full
of demonstrators and there was no traffic, the Aztec dancers created a circle
to commemorate the event in a sacred and ancient ceremony of traditional dance
and drums. The ceremony was well under way when, with no warning, the LAPD
charged into it in full force with dozens of motorcycles in a cacophonic and
frightening display of sirens and flashing lights. People were pushed and
shoved into each other by motorcycles, and as some later accurately said, the
onslaught was, in fact, an attack by deadly weapons. Children were screaming
and elders struggled to move. When they couldnt get away fast enough, younger
people stood in front of them to protect them. At least one young woman was
punched hard in the belly by a police baton and had to be
taken to the hospital for a cat scan.
This was not the only event that happened. As I mentioned in an article I
previously posted on the Free Press website, www.losangelesfreepress.com,
around the same time there was something similar happening on Wilshire Blvd.
where it intersects the park. Seemingly planned and coordinated events by the
LAPD, as if trying to piss people off and start
.what? A riot that could be
later blamed on the people?
And people were getting pissed. Even so they didnt lose it; they didnt
riot. There was a stand off
a stare off at Alvarado. The cops quickly built up
their forces there; Special Forces in riot gear, squad cars, motorcycles, an
army staring down a few kids. And a few water bottles were thrown
..into the
street. Water bottles that were later characterized as missiles
.attacks on
the police. Water bottles against an army with weapons in riot gear! The
supposed spark that sent the cops on the attack.
And meanwhile, thousands of people, unaware of these happenings, were enjoying
the post-march demonstration in the park. It was like a huge picnic with food
and ice cream vendors, speakers and live music; everything from Latin Cumbias
to Rock. There were free form theater groups in the grass. The band Fosforo had
just started a rendition of Bob Marleys War in Spanish, a song that says
that as long as there are different classes and some people are considered
better than others because of the color of their skin there will be war
..and
just at that point, the police attacked the crowd. There was no warning; just a
well-organized army moving in like the well-documented jack- booted thugs of
lore. But this legend shot 240 real rubber bullets at real bodies. This legend
moved in with real tear gas in well-rehearsed military fashion; terrifying and
shocking young and old. This was a real attack. And the stories. One old
homeless man sleeping by a tree woke up confused, and
the police beat him. Even television news crews werent exempt, and were
forced into the story as cameras and equipment went flying
So the community came to the meeting at Parker Center and asked
why did this
happen? And who gave the order?
.questions still not answered by the police,
although scapegoats have been chosen by Chief Bratton, Tweedle Dee and
Tweedle Dum say some, and demotions have already been announced. But this
isnt enough says the community, more is needed.
Some of the demands being made are:
- For Full Accountability of the LAPD and their actions against the
communities.
o A list of all officers present should be made public
- That all LAPD officers should have full identification on their
person at all times, as mandated by California Penal Code 830-10.
- For an elected civilian Police Review Board composed of a diverse
group of community members that has the power to hire and fire, and the power
to subpoena and indict police officers who commit crimes.
- For a Public Apology from LAPD Chief Bratton and from whatever
commanding officers (still not known) who gave the order to attack. (So far the
chief has apologized to the TV reporters, but not to the public.)
- For an end of all special-forces presence from community or
political demonstrations or actions in the future. Only traffic and parking
personnel should be necessary to facilitate traffic.
- That all charges made against anyone arrested that day should
be dropped
- For full transparency during the investigation process
Additionally, Shouts of Stop the Raids!, Stop the Deportations! were heard,
along with quite a few Power to the People!.
Others demanded that Chief Brattons contract to serve in Los Angeles not be
renewed. There is a strong feeling that he is responsible for setting much of
the attitudes that allowed this to happen as evidenced by the recent round ups
of homeless people on Skid Row.
The presence of the Minutemen have to be mentioned, as their comments of you
Mexicans and Illegal Aliens need to go back to your own countries showed a
highly developed and almost hysterical level of impenetrable ignorance. It was
almost laughable watching them praise the LAPD and characterize the May 1st
events as an attack on the police, when it was so clear that wasnt what
happened. . When the Minuteman founder and leader Jim Gilchrist got up and
admonished Bratton for demoting two high level police officers, even the cops
in attendance looked uncomfortable
as if they understood that they were being
lauded by NAZIS and didnt really want to be identified with them.
Anna Kunkin
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Please contact me about writing for the Los Angeles Free Press
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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