Protesters again faced off with Los Angeles police beginning in the morning and into the night Wednesday, when 130 protesters were arrested for unlawful assembly and failure to disperse near Sixth and Hope streets in downtown Los Angeles.
The latest action comes two days after a Missouri grand jury declined to indict a white Ferguson police officer who shot and killed and unarmed black teenager.
Marchers have taken to the streets — and freeways — of Los Angeles and other U.S. cities following Monday’s announcement that Officer Darren Wilson would not be charged in the shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown.
The activist group Occupy L.A. announced on Twitter that a protest would take place at 3 p.m. Wednesday near the U.S. Courthouse in downtown L.A.
Just after 3 p.m., a Los Angeles Police Department captain announced on Twitter that the department had gone on “tactical alert,” meaning all currently on-duty watch personnel would remain deployed and only urgent calls for service would be answered.
As darkness fell on Thanksgiving eve, hundreds marched toward the Los Angeles County jails east of the Civic Center. They called for the release of those arrested in protests the previous evening.
Many soon headed toward the other corner of downtown: the Staples Center, where tipoff for the Lakers-Grizzlies game was at 7:30 p.m.
The marchers were blocked from reaching the arena and then moved toward Sixth and Hope streets, where tensions appeared to be growing around 8 p.m.
Unlawful/unruly crowd is boxed in and are all legally under arrest on Hope Street at 6th Street. Avoid the area! @LAPDHQ
— CHP Central LA (@CHPCentralLA) November 27, 2014
Within minutes, the “unruly” crowd was declared an “unlawful assembly” by the LAPD and was determined to be subject to arrest, according to a tweet from the California Highway Patrol.
According to police at the scene, 130 protesters were arrested for unlawful assembly and failure to disperse.
“They engaged in unlawful behavior, running in and out of traffic … became a very dangerous scenario for the motorists who are driving in that area,” said Lt. Andy Neiman with the LAPD.
The protesters were lined up one-by-one and loaded onto buses brought in to transport them to jail.
The protesters were taken to several different locations to be processed because of the large number of arrests, according to Neiman.
Overnight, 183 people had been arrested in Ferguson-related L.A. protests — a figure much higher than that reported in other major cities where demonstrations have occurred, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“They couldn’t arrest Darren Wilson for murder, but they’re going to arrest people for getting out in the streets to stand up against this? It’s outrageous,” said a marcher who gave her name as Lucha. “We want to demand that they release everybody arrested and that they drop all charges.”
In a Wednesday morning news conference, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said the main body of protesters splintered into several groups the previous evening and some engaged in “significant civil disobedience.”
On suspicion of disturbing the peace, 167 people were arrested, Beck said. Fifteen juveniles were taken into custody for allegedly violating curfew, as was one person on suspicion of felony battery after allegedly throwing a frozen water bottle at an officer’s head.
“The Police Department of Los Angeles wants to facilitate genuine First Amendment activity,” Beck said. “However, we will not condone, nor we will allow, individuals to trample the rights of others in pursuit of those First Amendment rights.”
At about the same time Beck spoke, a group of people entered the 101 Freeway near Alvarado Street and brought traffic to a halt.
“Black lives matter,” and “indict Darren Wilson,” the protesters cried.
Vehicles were backed up in both directions as California Highway Patrol and LAPD officers arrived at the scene and corralled the activists into a bus lane on the southbound side of the freeway.
CHP Officer Edgar Figueroa described the demonstration as “very dangerous” and said it put the protesters and other drivers at risk.
“Especially today, being a busy day for traveling, we just can’t afford to have these types of disturbances, especially on the freeway,” Figueroa said. “We will and can arrest them.”
After sitting down on the pavement and locking arms, seven people were surrounded by officers and peacefully taken into custody, aerial video showed.
“We asked them to voluntarily leave. They wouldn’t leave,” said LAPD Capt. Brian Pratt. “We’re concerned for their safety. We’re concerned for the overall public’s safety on the freeways. … We had to effect the arrests.”
LAPD officials provided conflicting numbers for the final tally of those arrested on the freeway.
The episode occurred about two hours after a similar protest in San Diego, where dozens of activists walked onto the southbound 5 Freeway and briefly interrupted the morning commute before being dispersed by authorities.
And earlier, on Monday night, about 300 people entered the 110 Freeway on foot in downtown L.A. and completely shut down traffic. Officers in riot gear responded and used less-lethal foam projectiles to clear the scene.
That incident prompted a warning Tuesday morning from Beck, who noted the inherent danger of walking onto a freeway and vowed that anyone who did so would be arrested.
Despite the admonishment, demonstrators took to the 101 Freeway in downtown L.A. about 9 p.m. Tuesday and set up traffic barricades that they had picked up on nearby streets. CHP officers arrived and removed the protesters and barricades within 10 minutes.
Those arrested that night came just hours after hundreds had rallied in South L.A.’s Leimert Park before marching to LAPD headquarters in the area of First and Main streets. There they were met by baton-wielding officers in riot helmets who formed a human barrier on the steps in front of the building.
Correction: An earlier version of this story gave a figure for the number of Wednesday night arrests that was estimated by a reporter on scene, was not provided by LAPD and was not attributed. The figure was removed from the story and replaced by information provided by police.
Four and half minute of silence for #MichaelBrown #Ferguson on Cesar Chavez. Day 3 is getting hectic. pic.twitter.com/nEDOudWSqB
— Marcus Yam 火 (@yamphoto) November 27, 2014
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