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LAPD at It Again: Beatings of Protestors and Journalists Caught on Tape

This May Day, immigrants again rallied in Los Angeles. Though not as well attended as last year's national news-making rallies in L.A. and Chicago, the L.A. event drew tens of thousands of participants. The event was peaceful—until the end, when police tried to clear out a city park after having a few bottles thrown at them (8 officers were treated for minor injuries on the scene).

I saw this story yesterday, but decided against blogging it because the video clip made the hubbub look pretty tame. But apparently the clip I saw was misleading. The police "wielded batons and fired 240 'less-than-lethal' rounds at demonstrators and reporters" In the process, they injured 10 people—including 7 reporters who were covering, rather than participating in, the incident.

The LAPD is like one big cautionary tale for insensitivity. The officers had told everyone to clear the park—in English only. Seriously? In Los Angeles, at a rally for Latino immigrants? And here's what the cops did to reporters:

[KPCC reporter Patricia] Nazario said she was walking away from riot police when she was hit in the back.

Wearing a press pass and holding a microphone, she turned around and told the officer, "Why did you hit me? I'm moving. I'm a reporter," Nazario recalled.

Then the officer hit her on the left leg, she said, knocking her to the ground and sending her cellphone flying.

"I was shocked, trying to scramble to my feet," she said. "At that point, I just started crying…. I just felt totally vulnerable."

Pedro Sevcec was anchoring the evening news for Telemundo when he saw the riot police moving slowly toward the news crews.

…Police knocked over monitors and lights and hit reporters and camera operators with batons, he said.

Sevcec said police hit him three times and pointed a riot gun at his face before pushing him out of the park.

The best thing those in power have going in this country is that the middle class really likes to believe that life is fair and that authority operates with equanimity. Most members of the media share that bias. Making them feel under attack is a huge strategic mistake: When a reporter is beaten to the ground, that reporter is going to get up radicalized—and pissed off.

L.A. news crews won the right to cover public protests even when police declare it an unlawful assembly as part of a lawsuit brought on behalf of a handful of journalists who were assaulted by the L.A.P.D. while covering the 2000 Democratic National Convention in L.A.

These guys never learn!

Comments

The police were justified in their reaction to the illegals. They don't belong here to begin with.

Posted by: Hector on 05/03/07 at 4:26 PM Respond

@ Hector:

1. Are you claiming the reporters who were assaulted were illegal immigrants?

2. Who said the protestors were illegals? The blog entry says they are immigrants, not illegal immigrants.

Seriously, you're post is so off, it has to be a deliberate attempt at trolling.

Posted by: Eviltwin on 05/03/07 at 7:05 PM Respond

He may be a troll, but there are many, many people dumb enough not to know that a stick can beat anyone. They don't know that what goes around, comes around. It's pretty sad.

Posted by: Anarcissie on 05/03/07 at 7:43 PM Respond

I live in New Zealand, I saw the above peacefull demonstration on the T.V last night and was totaly disgusted.It's obvious to me that that the LA. police have a political agenda.I mean really, does it take a whole army of police to sort out a few hooligans?
Yours Drakula

Posted by: paul drake on 05/04/07 at 4:55 AM Respond

From the LA Times article: "The order was made in English only, and some reporters and protesters said they either did not hear any orders or could not understand what the police wanted them to do."

First - Total BS. A bunch of cops come at you with riot gear, you go in the other direction.
Second - LEARN ENGLISH!!!
Third - Wasn't there a cake in the rain?

Posted by: kirkbrew on 05/04/07 at 8:05 AM Respond

kirkbrew - you make a lot of assumptions, including the notion that folks could see the riot police coming in a crowded park packed with all kinds of folks, including families with kids.

In the footage I saw last night, there was a man on his knees with his back to the police, cradling his child in his arms to protect the kid from the rubber bullets being fired all around him. I saw a reporter/camera-man on his knees, clearly unarmed and not dangerous, and yet he was kicked and beaten by these hooligan cops. Are you seriously suggesting that this is appropriate behavior by police against unarmed citizens?

Posted by: Deacon on 05/04/07 at 10:01 AM Respond

LA is a Mexican city. I doubt very much that the police are not part of the Mexican Mayor's team. A few of the marchers attacked the police and they reacted in typical fashion.

Posted by: Larry on 05/04/07 at 3:25 PM Respond

Maybe we can turn these kanji-character spammers over to the LAPD for a few 'corrective' measures????

Posted by: Solution? on 07/22/08 at 8:28 AM Respond

Hey People,

I live in S..CA. and i can tell you that it has gotten SOOOO bad in los angels that in many parts of town, it looks like Mexico...:-(
I think that any time the Illegals march, the police should shoot every one of them with rubber bullets. They have NO business protesting in our country. They need to be rounded up and arrested and shipped back to mexico.
Learn english, stop birthing gang members, and integrate yourselves into our culture. Otherwise GET OUT..!!!

Bill

Posted by: BIll Nigh on 07/22/08 at 2:28 PM Respond