Los Angeles Lieutenant: ‘Terrorizing Motorists Not Covered by 1st Amendment’

On Black Friday in the Westlake section of Los Angeles at about 6 p.m., the Los Angeles Police Department started detaining Ferguson protesters, shackling them with zip ties and running background checks. Lt. Andy Smith for the LAPD said bluntly, “Terrorizing motorists is not covered by the 1st Amendment.”

The defiant protesters were marching in response to a grand jury verdict for a Ferguson, Missouri policeman. Michael Brown was liberated from standing trial, when the jury ruled that 18-year-old Michael Brown was killed by Wilson in an act of self defense.

The Los Angeles Times reported that many of the Ferguson protesters obeyed and moved away from the area where they were demonstrating when police gave the order to disperse. However, others still lingered. Unfortunately for them, those who did not immediately leave the area were arrested.

LAPD Capt. Mike Oreb said, “It became very dangerous for the driving public and they were doing it on purpose,” Oreb said of the demonstrators.

Also on Friday in San Francisco, a march for racial justice turned ugly, reported SFGate, when hundreds of hostile protesters caused mayhem on Union Square. The obstreperous crowd began breaking windows, attacking police, and frightening shoppers.

One protester spray painted “F T P” (F–The Police) on an Apple Store, prompting one woman shopper to remark, “So stupid. It isn’t really smart.” Her family quickly cautioned her not to give her name out to the SFGate reporter, fearing that activists might seek reprisal for criticizing the vandalism.

After awhile, Police steered the roughly 100 demonstrators down to Market Street and into the Mission District. The activists broke windows and spray painted the buildings along the way. There police made several arrests. Two officers were injured by by broken glass and flung bricks by the protesters.