Why are the Los Angeles police accused of excessive force? Is it because their patience finally ran out after they’d been pelted with stones and garbage, called insulting names and jeered by unruly demonstrators who were supporting illegal immigration? Were the “victims” just peaceful marchers, or primarily gangs of teenagers skipping school to block streets and damage property?
The police did not “own up” to using excessive force. The LAPD chief said he was “disturbed by the accusations” and would investigate the charges. As in many pre-planned violent street demonstrations, the marchers posted their own photographers at specific points. They did this in anticipation of “photo ops” where trained members of the gang would deliberately provoke the police to get photos of the officers trying to control the rioting mob.
In case no one noticed, these May Day marches were different in one glaring way than the one the same gangs of marchers staged last year. In the 2006 demonstrations advocating illegal immigration, the protesters waved hundreds of Mexican flags. That angered and frightened many US citizens, who realized the cause was much more devious than just support for illegals. The marchers got the point and changed their tactics this year, but not their intent.
In the 2007 demonstrations, all the flags were the American stars and stripes. Has anyone wondered why the switch. Was it because the Mexican flags last year showed the true colors of the marchers? Are they merely supporting illegal immigration, or are their plans much more ambitious in increasing Mexican control over large areas of the US?
The LAPD has the responsibility of protecting the citizens of Los Angeles. If they are deliberately provoked, appropriate force is required. The level of force isn’t determined by the police, but by the level of illegal actions of the mob. This is especially true if the mob’s main purpose for rioting is to advocate breaking the laws of the United States.