Cop Tactics At Immigration Rally Draw Ire

L.A. Police Seen Firing Rubber Bullets Into Crowds That Included Children

(CBS/AP)  Police Chief William J. Bratton said Wednesday some of the police tactics to clear immigration protesters from a park were "inappropriate," as numerous news videos showed officers striking people with batons and firing rubber bullets into crowds that included children.

After a peaceful day of immigration marches, Los Angeles police say a small group in a downtown park pelted them with rocks and bottles, reports CBS News correspondent Bill Whitaker. Police responded with force.

Amid the cries and chaos, photographers were kicked, their camera's tossed. KCBS cameraman Carl Stein was knocked to the ground. So was reporter Mark Coogan.

"This is strictly my opinion," Coogan told Whitaker. "It was utterly uncalled for. It was overkill to the nth degree."

Some injured people were seen in the videos, including a Hispanic man with a bleeding welt on his stomach.

Bratton promised an investigation, and said he would discuss the matter further at a news conference later Wednesday.

"Quite frankly, I was disturbed at what I saw," Bratton told KNX-AM. He said the actions of some officers "were inappropriate in terms of use of batons and possible use of non-lethal rounds fired."

The clash at MacArthur Park started after 6 p.m. when police tried to disperse demonstrators who had moved off the sidewalk onto the street. Authorities said several of the few thousand people still at the rally threw rocks and bottles at officers, who fired rubber bullets and used batons to push the crowd back onto the sidewalk.

"(Police) started moving in and forcing them out of the park, people with children, strollers," said Angela Sambrano, director of the Central American Resource Center.

Several people, including about a dozen officers, were hurt. About 10 people were taken to hospitals for treatment of injuries including cuts, authorities said. None of the injuries was believed to be serious. At least one person was arrested, but police have not released a name.

Maria Elena Durazo, the executive secretary-treasurer at the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, said the trouble was instigated by "a group of anarchists, not associated with the rally."

Spanish-language TV station Telemundo said one of its reporters and three camera operators had been injured and taken to the hospital by police. Fox 11 aired video of a station camerawoman apparently being struck by a baton-wielding police officer in riot gear.

The Radio and Television News Association of Southern California called for an investigation.

"There is evidence that officers knocked reporters to the ground, used batons on photographers and damaged cameras, possibly motivated by anger over journalists photographing efforts by officers to control the movements of marchers," the group said in a statement.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who was traveling in El Salvador during a trade mission, said the incident was "a most unfortunate end to a peaceful day."

Protesters marched in cities from Miami to Detroit to San Antonio attempting to convince Congress to create a path to citizenship for the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States. Tuesday's protests were far smaller than similar demonstrations a year earlier that drew hundreds of thousands of people in some cities, including Los Angeles.

[tbweb]

The illegal Mexicans in the U.S. can be compared to someone coming home and finding that an illegal criminal has broken into their house and is in the kitchen making a sandwich. While you get ready to confront this illegal criminal about being in your home illegally, the criminal starts to argue with you for not having any pickles for their sandwich! The criminal won't let you discuss their illegal entry because they are too busy complaining about you not having any pickles! Of course the real issue is not the missing pickles, its what the hell are you doing in my house! Illegal immigrants should be arguing their case from Mexico, not from their illegal presence inside the United States! The very fact that they are illegally on American soil in the first place is criminal and that is where this discussion belongs and should start from! Why are you here in the U.S. illegally in the first place!! The discussion about the status of illegals can not begin until they return to a legal status first, which is back in Mexico where they came from. Return to a legal status first and then we can talk about immigration, the U.S. does not bargain with terrorist or criminals!

[vancouverboo]

BOYCOTT CINCO DE MAYO.


Send a message, a monetary message, to the ********, the merchants who hire ******** and the smirking rat-face in the White House who LOVES cheap labor from the ********.

[gretchen1234-2009]

bourbon83 how long did it take for you to come up with that pathetic comeback??? Still waiting for you to deport...you come along to as I am sure you are not a Native American...waiting??? waiting.....

[fedupintn]

I am so tired of all of you illegal mexicans demanding all of these rights & citizenship & using the excuse that you're doing the work us lazy Americans wont do! How all you want to do is have a better ife! You disgarce all of the honest, hardworking immigrants that came her the hard way, legally, learned the English language & helped form the America we are today! You say you do what us lazy Americans wont, HA! You come here, steal our hardworking Americans tools & do a **** poor job! It's the Americans that end up having to fix your **** poor work & the contractor will never see you again to recoup his losses due to your crappy work! You come here illegally sponging off our education, healthcare & welfare system, then complain that you're treated unfairly! You know America wont turn you away because if we do you will sue us for discrimination! Face it, you have NO rights because you are here ILLEGALLY! You march thru our streets holding your flag demanding that we give you citizenship..have you earned it? NO! You basically think because your country is poor that we owe you something, well we dont! Why don't you go home, take the education & skills you learned while you were here, illegally, make something of your country? Would you let us come to your country, overrun your neighborhoods & sponge off of your economy? Well, then quit whining & go the **** home!

[finewoven]

I cannot tell if this is just another case of institutional bias, or if there is really a rational purpose for eliminating the illegal recourse of what most would call seeking opportunity wherever it may be. Were the police so fearful of the protesters that they had to apply force? As an example of non-institutional bias, at Kent State in the 60s, were the police so fearful of the protesters there that they had to shoot to kill?

Or is this more of a symptom of the class divide between richer and poorer? Let me tell you, CEOs are making more money than ever. The ratio between their salary and the minimum wage worker is in the three digit percent points. TopWall Street earners make in the range of $500 million annually, the top two make more than a $1 billion annually. And here some [legal] immigrants have to work two jobs to earn enough to barely get by. The illegal ones still want to come to America to make whatever opportunity might be available.

And as the middle class dwindles due to tax laws that do not redistribute the wealth, there seems to be more racial hatred, for lack of being able to vent the frustration of not having greater opportunities. Hopefully it isn%u2019t based on the color of one%u2019s skin.

[bourbon83]

[stupid mex ho] Gringos...porque son estupidos??? porque tienen fear?? Despierte,,,ahora! This country is not tuyos it belongs to the natives...mexicanos..y native americans! Ha ha I speak Spanglish..now deport me...you are all a bunch of ignorant close minded threatened so called U.S. citizens..this country is big enough for anyone who wants to work and make una vida mejor! WEPA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

More of that unwarranted attitude of the trash we don't want in our neighborhoods, or cities, or our country. You're not good enough to weed any crops, let alone clean anybody's house. You left off the "M" in WEPA Should be WEPAM. Wetbks Enter **** And Moan. Go home before we send our refuse to your country.

[gretchen1234-2009]

Gringos...porque son estupidos??? porque tienen fear?? Despierte,,,ahora! This country is not tuyos it belongs to the natives...mexicanos..y native americans! Ha ha I speak Spanglish..now deport me...you are all a bunch of ignorant close minded threatened so called U.S. citizens..this country is big enough for anyone who wants to work and make una vida mejor! WEPA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[rushman71]

I am not a racial bigot, but it really pisses me off watching people walking our streets and through our neighborhoods--any where in the USA--waiving the Mexican flag and claiming that they deserve their rights. If you hold so much pride in your homeland, go home.

[rushman71]

YotlYolquall: I do see your point about Christopher Columbus, but please note that in those days there was no president, no jury, no congress, no laws to live with and to abide by, nothing but tribes of Native Americans on isles and on the mainlands. As time went by, America slowly but surely developed all of these things. Today we have laws that we are supposed to live by. Unfortunately, these laws are being broken. Is it right for people to just cross over our border lines and automatically claim citizenship? Of course not. There are limitations today, compared to way back in the Columbus day. Is it right for illegal aliens to enter our country, have their children here, work for pennies on the dollar, turn our once decent multi-racial neighborhoods into Little Mexico, as well as bringing gangs into our society to help raise the crime percentage? Absolutely not!!!!

[tonowando]

if a u.s. citizen commits a crime and is convicted and punished . there are no mass protest . the rule of law has been followed . but these protesters want us to look the other way if the law breaker is an illegal alien . is this justice or hypocrisy ?

[lestb35]

Deport Now. Illegal immigrants;,we'll keep your anchor babies if you like and raise them as Americans. If you want to take them back to your homeland fine. Your choice. But you gotta go we're not paying anymore.

[bourbon83]

[aclu groupie]No single person, save for the indigenous peoples of the America's can rightfully claim this country as "theirs" At one point, every single being, again, save for the indigenous peoples, were immigrants, illegal or otherwise. Christopher Columbus was an illegal alien. The English settlers were illegal aliens

The way of the world back then was to conquer and the strong survived. If it had not been Americans that conquered and made this country, it would be a replicate of the dung heap Mexico is today. The reason we have immigrations laws is easily summed up in an overpopulated world. If you have a two acre farm and have 5 horses on it, you have plenty of feed for them to survive on. If the neighbor puts too many cows on his 10 acres then they'll bust down the fence and overrun your two acres. Now there is not enough feed for your horses or his cows. They'll all starve. That's what happens with no limitations. If every country can just pop in here freely. What they come here for will no longer exist!

[bourbon83]

[stupid mex] The are the ones that complete the JOBS that you ******* LAZY racist people don't do. Which that is why the fruit product,and other product are going to waste. This country honestly needs these MEXICAN PEOPLE. Again because you LAZY...

Take your sorry butt back across the border. Your comments, and your arragance are an exact example of the *** everyone puts up with in neighborhoods you invade!!! A small amount of illegals actually work, a larger amount set around collect welfare, get fat, raise a tribe of kids, sell drugs, steal, drive with no insurance, no license, no registration, all the while raising your little brats to vandalize and hate americans. If we make real americans living on welfare earn their checks, we certainly have no need for any illegals to do cheap work. Racist? It is you that is truly racist. If you like what we have here, take your sorry *** home and replicate it there!!

[yotlyolquall]

No single person, save for the indigenous peoples of the America's can rightfully claim this country as "theirs" At one point, every single being, again, save for the indigenous peoples, were immigrants, illegal or otherwise. Christopher Columbus was an illegal alien. The English settlers were illegal aliens.

The idea that the immigrants coming into this country is whats wrong with this country is so far off base it's laughable. Whats wrong with this country, made so evident here, is that mankind has stopped loving mankind. Until we can act with compassion and mercy, we will never obtain compassion and mercy from each other, from other nations or from God.

[phoenix1218]

EASY, Call INS or the FEDS!!!

Phoenix1218

I tried but I can't get through...I live in LA County, Ca. so it's hard. anymore suggestions. a link or a number?
i just can stand her she owns a cell phone and is walking freely around getting two types of incomes in which one I'm paying....she works part time at this other place cleaning extra cash..forget her!!! I want her out!
Posted by patsy2007

Patsy,
Call the cops, INS, the Feds, your state rep, your congressmen/woman in addition to doing all that phone calling email them EVERY DAY, fax them EVERY day, mail them a letter through the us postal service EVERY DAY until they do somehting.

[deathtoallah]

I want these illegal aliens out of my country. You know they are going to come back and sue the police for using force. This was their whole agenda. P*iss off the police, the police do their job, then sue them for doing their job. I hate that they think they are going to get a free ride on our tax dollars. F*u*c*k them all and their anchor babies. What parents leave their kids behind when they are deported to give them a "better" life. That is abandonment and they should be charged with not only their illegal alien status, but abandoning their children. If USA citizens and legal immigrants leave their children they get charged, so why don't these people. They think they are above our laws and seek to break every one of them when they come over here to drop their anchor babies and live off of our resources. GET THEM ALL OUT NOW!
We can't allow these foreigners into our country. They are a big part of the criminal element and all need to be deported. SECURE the BORDERS...

[frankinaz]

Both the protesters and police lose in this riot: It was "Agitators" that began causing trouble and taunting the police, then others on the protester's side began throwing rocks and bottles at the officers, who told the protesters to leave. Then the officers retaliated with phyiscal force; some of it excessive. People who protest and support illegal immigration should not resort to, unfortunately for them, stupidity and violence. The police also need to be more careful about how much force is needed to subdue violent people, so they have brutality issues to face. At the end of this prostest, there are only losers, and nobody won.

[proudmex1]

Let me tell all of you that are saying these stupid things. The police in Los Angeles have NO right to treat anyone like the way they did. Illegal or not this country is is a FREE country, which you have the right to say WHAT THE HELL YOU WANT!!!! I will alway support the reform to the immigration, because the "useless immigration" you all call. The are the ones that complete the JOBS that you ******* LAZY racist people don't do. Which that is why the fruit product,and other product are going to waste. This country honestly needs these MEXICAN PEOPLE. Again because you LAZY *** people can't do the JOB. All of these people are honest working people trying to make ends meet just like any other person, just because they are from a different country all of YOU discriminate. Why not the real people (Irak, Iran,etc. those other countries that affect the USA?)

[nottellin1]

Please, please, please, don't just write it here. Write to your elected officials, congress people & senators. These are the ones that really need to see our thoughts on this issue. The only way to make a change is to let the country know how the prople really feel.

[phoenix1218]

When someone breaks into a property and gets shot, they can't complain and sue the Police.
Posted by tbweb

Actually, A diabetic man keeps an apple and a apple peeler by his bedside and a guy breaks in, cuts himself on the peeler, sues the homeowner and wins. How fair is that? This really happened, albeit over 10 years ago.