Los Angeles Residents, Claremont Students Protest Police Brutality
By Aidan Doherty
Editor-in-Chief

Several hundred people participated in a demonstration and march last Tuesday, October 22, in downtown Los Angeles, to protest police brutality. The majority wore black clothing or black armbands as a sign of mourning for the victims of police violence. Participants included various members of civil liberties and civil rights groups, family members of people killed by police, and a large number of students, including several from the Claremont Colleges.

Many posters and placards were in evidence, some mounted with photos of people slain by police, others with more explicitly political messages. An upside down American flag and Communist Party placard were among the most remarkable, although the majority specifically condemned the police for abuse of power and the violation of civil rights.

The march was led by a group in traditional costume performing a dance of the indigenous people of Mexico, followed by a truck-mounted platform on which speakers, including celebrity lawyer Johnnie Cochran, spoke against police brutality and led the crowd in various chants including, "No justice, no peace! No racist police!" Cochran told the assembled crowd, "We're here to be there for the families, and let them know that we are with them." The crowd assembled at Olympic and Broadway starting at around 2 p.m. and began to march towards the Los Angeles Police Department headquarters at 2:38 p.m. The crowd, although smaller than in past years, received a supportive reaction from bystanders along the route. Many people in nearby buildings waved or raised fists in solidarity with the marchers, and political activists among the marchers distributed newsletters and flyers to onlookers on the sidewalks. One such activist, who gave his name only as "Jack of the LA Greens," said of the march, "People have been crying for decades - and now the young people, who are the ones targeted, are speaking out." One bystander, who gave his name only as "Amir," commented, "Police brutality is a reality in America."

A small contingent of uniformed police walking backwards slowly before the oncoming crowd was merely the vanguard of a massive police presence. Cross streets along the route of the march were blocked by rows of uniformed police and police vehicles. At least three LAPD helicopters could be seen circling above the crowd. In an echo of violence between police and protestors at last year's October 22 demonstration that resulted in a federal lawsuit against the LAPD, many officers were armed with non-lethal rifles designed for crowd control, and some wore combat helmets. Legal observers, identified by neon green caps, monitored the proceedings, but no violence occurred. "I watch out for things that are a violation of the law, or a violation of the uniform, and I make a note of them," Tim Midgley, a Los Angeles attorney and legal observer said. A number of uniformed police were also seen videotaping the demonstration. "We're just here to make sure they've got a nice, clear path and they're not obstructed," said Officer Maloney, one of the policemen present at the march.

Asked whether police brutality was a problem at the LAPD, Lieutenant Horrace Frank said, "The department takes all allegations of excessive force very seriously. Any and all allegations of police misconduct are investigated. That said, the fact that officers use force does not necessarily make it improper. The law is that officers can use force when it's necessary to restrain somebody. What is not allowed is the excessive use of force."

The march was part of a national day of protest against police brutality recognized by a coalition of anti-police brutality groups known as the October 22nd coalition and was first held in 1996.