Protest aftermath

The LAPD beefs up its presence - on the streets and in the air

by Ben Geman

LOS ANGELES - After the chaos of Monday's Rage Against the Machine melee, the streets of downtown LA on Tuesday were dominated by clusters of cops outfitted in riot gear. They swarmed in groups and popped up at every intersection during the day's events, which included a pro-union rally and march, an animal rights demonstration, and a queer kiss-in.

Given the extreme actions taken by the police on Monday, which included firing rubber bullets into the crowd - something you might expect in a country experiencing civil unrest, like Northern Ireland in the 1980s - the police presence took on a more intimidating feel. There was also an increased presence of noisy helicopters circling low over the street marches.

Police were vigilant - some said overly so - in keeping the streets clear. Tuesday afternoon, police arrested about 45 animal-rights activists who had been banging on the windows of stores that sell fur. Although no businesses were damaged, police showed reporters items that had been found with the protesters: a slingshot, paint pellets, and an egg-shaped plastic thing that Commander David Kalish said could be filled with flammable liquid. Kalish could not say whether anyone planned to use the items, but maintained the arrests took place because police had obtained information that the activists were going to "attack businesses."

As the anti-fur activists were cuffed and being lead onto buses a few dozen activists and legal observers working with the National Lawyers Guild and the Midnight Special Law Collective watched the arrests from a nearby corner. The scene was somewhat chaotic - some activists yelled at police officers about ending sanctions against Iraq (not applicable to the LAPD) and stopping brutality (somewhat more relevant). Police declared the observers an "unlawful assembly" and ordered them to disperse. "It's outrageous, absolutely a First Amendment violation," said attorney Osha Neumann, who was watching the arrests.

"Observation of police is a classic First Amendment activity." The arrests seemed to be a preview of the days' events. Indeed, later on in the afternoon, police detained about 30 bicyclists who had staged group rides to promote their pro-bike, anti-car message. When I saw them, they were being escorted by police officers on bicycles.

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A transit-equity demonstration saw a similarly heavy police presence, but no arrests. The Bus Riders Union, a mostly-minority group of activists who fight to improve bus mass transit in this expansive city, gathered in MacArthur Park west of downtown before a march to the Staples Center, where the convention is being staged.

The seven-year-old group - which is waging a fight that mirrors transit equity battles in Boston - says the area's Metropolitan Transportation Authority violates federal civil rights codes with its transit and spending priorities. The BRU's main complaint is that LA transit officials are spending money on rail transit that serves disproportionately white and suburban riders while failing to improve inner city bus service relied on more extensively by lower-income and minority residents.

The group called for a moratorium on rail construction and $1 billion to spend on clean, compressed natural gas buses and new drivers to reduce crowding and expand city service. BRU activists wanted Democratic presidential nominee Al Gore to take a stand for civil rights by enforcing, under the Civil Rights Act, an earlier agreement between the BRU and transit officials to improve bus service that BRU. The BRU claims that the transit authority has reneged on the deal. "They tell us there is no money for buses … but they [MTA] find money to expand rail service to North Hollywood," says Barbara Lott-Holland, a bus commuter from South Central Los Angeles and BRU member, standing in the park, surrounded by both BRU members and other activists in town for the week's protests. "We want to put the question to Al Gore: What side of the civil rights issue are you on?" That question, in various forms and chants, was raised as hundreds marched downtown, under a heavy LAPD presence. At one point, as marchers went by a crowd of police in riot helmets, they chanted "1000 more buses, 1000 less police."

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The Tuesday evening Kiss-in/Die-in rally and march organized by the ad-hoc group Queers and Allies drew a good-sized crowd. The Kiss-In, held in Pershing Square, was a celebration of solidarity after speeches on the queer movement. The die-in took place about a mile awa at the intersection of Los Angeles and Temple Streets, where some marchers lay down and others circled their body in chalk to commemorate people killed from hate crimes and AIDS.

Speakers called for continued activism at the rally. "Are gay men still being harassed in public parks in this country?" asked Dont Rhine, who's active in the queer union group Pride at Work. "What do we have? We have [the Defense of Marriage Act] and 'Don't ask, don't tell', [but] we have hate crimes legislation and ENDA sitting on desks."

A nice moment from the Kiss-In: When activists smooched to music, about 10 or so of the black clad, mask-or-bandana wearing anarchist kids put their arms around each other's shoulders and just moved around a bit in a small circle for a few moments. So it's not all about rage, after all.

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