LAPD Screwed Up

I'm normally very supportive of the police, and when protesters get out of hand a good police thumpin' is probably what they need. However, there has to be some sort of retraint on the part of the cops and at Monday's illegal immigration rally in Los Angeles, the cops got out of hand.

The rally near MacArthur Park had been peaceful until a collection of 100 or so anarchists decided to pick a fight. The cops moved in response and then something went wrong. Not only were the anarchists routed, but from the video, it appears that a lot of innocent folks were roughed up. Some 240 rounds of non-lethal rubber baton rounds were fired into the crowd leaving a number of people with bloody bruises. What's even worse for the cops, some members of the media got the same treatment. Despite having press credentials and professional TV equipment, a number of reporters and crews were hit with batons and knocked down during the scuffle, and that probably more than anything else, guarantees that the LAPD will have a very bumpy ride in the ensuing investigations.

This could not come at a worse time for Chief William Bratton. The Chief is nearing the end of his first five-year term and is in the process of being nominated for a second term. I don't think this incident will prevent his reappointment, unless he doesn't act decisively in regards to the officers who appeared to overreact to the threat posed by the troublemakers. The media wants scalps (not to mention all the Hispanic activist groups), and if Bratton doesn't deliver, he'll be looking for work.

It appears there was a failure in the command structure at the rally, and the videos of cops shoving people around or throwing an old man's bike over a fence is going to require a number of officers to pay a steep price. It's too bad because I don't think it had to turn out that way.