More on the May Day LAPD Police Riot

[meldroc]

Boing Boing: Bratton: LAPD attacks on reporters, protestors "worst in 37 years"

More details are coming out about the Los Angeles Police Department's clash with demonstrators and reporters this Tuesday at an immigration reform rally.

Above: Carl Stein, longtime cameraman for Los Angeles television station KCAL, struggling and in pain on the ground after having been beaten by LAPD officers.

Anonymous friend of Carl Stein tells BoingBoing, "He spoke to the photo editor at the day of the incident and explained that the photo depicted the cops beating him to the ground. Interestingly, when the paper went to press, the caption reads that the cops are helping him to get up. WTF?"

...

LAPD brutally attacked thousands of families celebrating international workers' day in downtown macarthur park, using rubber bullets, batons, motorcycles and chemical spray. They even attacked several members of the media, including Fox News and Telemundo correspondents! It was so ludicrous that they are no longer even attempting to spin it in the standard way (ie, 'we used controlled nonlethal force against a few troublemakers). They have abandoned that line and even the chief (bratton) has admitted that it got out of hand.

I was there to support the event and to play music with my band fosforo. We were literally on the soundstage playing when the police attacked without clear warning. I happened to have a cam and hid behind a speaker stack to record everything.

[Sequoia]

1. Just wait until the city asks for it and when you refuse...bam off

to the slammer you go for contempt of court. You'd better keep that in a lock box at the bank or something. I clearly saw the LAPD beating on the media too. What's with the Chief acting all innocent anyway. I lived in LA when Daryl Gates was there. Him and his ramming machine plowing into houses of innocent citizens and saying how casual drug users should be shot and then his own son getting caught with drugs. Cannibus I think was his drug of choice. Hang in there and be careful (I guess).

[meldroc]

2. Would it be uncouth of me to say that those protesters had the right to resist?

The "cops" (I use quotes because as far as I'm concerned, they lose the color of law when they act like criminals) were committing numerous acts of assault and battery with deadly weapons (yes, those rubber baton guns can kill you, and can easily inflict very nasty injuries.)

Granted the protesters would have gotten massacred if they tried it (as usual, the pigs were armed for bear,) but they are within their legal and moral rights to resist rioting cops, with lethal force. It's a clear-cut case of self defense.

[coalition_unwilling]

3. I called my City Council person (Bill Rosendahl) yesterday to

demand that Bratton resign immediately. Got typical westside liberal shuck and jive. I may not vote for Rosendahl next time around unless he issues a forceful resignation demand.

[meldroc]

4. Yet more from Alternet...

L.A. Immigration Protest: The Police "Were Relentless. They Were Merciless."