> For instance last night the LAPD shoved my daughter and her boyfriend
> around on the street outside his apartment building on Santa Monica
> blvd telling them they could not stand there. There were a group of
> protestors somewhere in the area - down a block or so. Is it a crime
> to stand on a street corner?
> John Johnson reported there had been more batoning of people at the
> Westwood Federal Building yesterday. The cops are dressing in full
> riot gear now. But if you want an overview report you could try the
> National Lawyers Guild in LA. They are handling many of the arrestees
> court issues and I'm sure they would know more than I do.
> BTW I missed the gathering today. Just to sore to make it.
> Marta
When it comes to the police, it doesn't matter what is legal or not. They call the shots until you stand up to them with superior numbers.
I went down to the ANSWER march this afternoon--mostly to enjoy the nice weather--and ended up stuck in the protest pen that the cops created on M Street. I'm still kicking myself for letting myself get trapped like that. After it became apparent that the cops weren't going to let protesters go anywhere, I headed up an alley looking for an exit. Finding none, I tried to play stupid local resident and slip through the rear police lines. I ran into a cop (who I later discovered was the CDU squad commander) who refused to let me pass. He pushed me back at one point. Then I ran into Manny Fernandez from the Washington Post and as I was talking to him I discovered that the police line was weak on the end by the 7-11. I slipped out and observed that standoff from the outside.
Today the police were just interested in looking tough, not in doing mass arrests.
Chuck0