The truth about LAPD's violent attack upon the downtown Artwalk.

There are two things police could have done: Not shown up at all or simply left upon seeing it was CHALK.


[Quote] via Laurel Sylvanus - #OWS #ChalkWalk #DTLA

"You see, NO, the answer is not: "But it was just rubber buillets and beanbags." The answer is "OMG professionals trained in crowd control and crisis management tasked with protecting and serving the PUBLIC made a conscious decision to take aim and FIRE WEAPONS AT THE SAME PUBLIC for peaceful, ARTISTIC PROTEST in the 2nd largest city in the United States of America. I must stand up and be heard on this terrifying, horrible action by SEVERAL MEMBERS of the LAPD!" ~ Occupy Los Angeles


It is entirely about the CCA and their belief that they own and run downtown LA. And that they at least run city hall and the police department, so this is not far from being a complete truth. This is also about Occupy being the cockroach in their tinseltown, and an insane interpretation of the "Broken Windows Theory". And water-soluble childrens' "sidewalk chalk" which is designed to be easily washed off.

LAPD Officer Karen Rayner said it (chalk) is "not vandalism because it's not permanent."

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/los-angeles-artwalk-turns-violent-clash-police-occupy-article-1.1114068#ixzz20XxHB6Hr


Why not sign the petition for an investigation into their brutality and over-reaction?

http://www.change.org/petitions/mayor-villaraigosa-governor-jerry-brown-attorney-general-eric-holder-investigate-lapd-use-of-force-on-angelenos-at-art-walk-on-7-12-12


There were probably 20 Occupiers at Chalkwalk/Artwalk. The =hundreds= of Artwalkers and locals who stood up to LAPD did so of their own will because LAPD were blatantly WRONG. I was not there; I watched livestream from when tweets went out about the police line. An Occupier who was there is saying there were 10 OccupyLA people present. Here is OLA's press release:

https://www.facebook.com/notes/occupy-los-angeles/lapd-push-shoot-kick-man-in-face-arrest-him-at-artwalk-lapd-arrested-and-harm-mo/467166763296113

Artwalk/Chalkwalk early in the evening, sans police:



Photo by Dan Bluemel of LA Activist; see his story linked right after the videos.

Cops arrive including area supervisor Captain Frank, and begin confiscating chalk. Notice the cop in the first video takes out his baton at about 31 seconds. With this attitude and disproportion, it is no wonder they took things so far out of hand.





Arrests for water-soluble chalk drawings, including one saying "(Heart) the police"; people in disbelief, children crying:


Video by PeteyK

Shot in the chest ("foam baton"), arrested...said to have been kicked in the head by cops, see below:



Young woman violently arrested to the crowd's disbelief and upset:


Video by pouyan1 on youtube

Man violently arrested for no reason, with no warning:


Video by Marco Siguenza

Three arrests, woman shoved by cops:


Video by dramakidps2 on youtube

Above view, start at 4:45. Taser can be heard at 4:57; not very audible here but I've heard it clearly on other video near the street. I've been reading that they kicked the man in the face and this confirms it repeatedly:



Taser sound is clearly audible at 7:38. Occupy did not tag the truck. Locals were out by then due to police over-presence and police violence....against chalk.



LAPD aggressively block people into the Alexandria Hotel:



This young man was shot four times; displays his wounds:


Video by Sam Slovick

Video of police firing three times; This man was shot once:


Video by Sam Slovick

Occupiers speak truth to LAPD panel, OUTSTANDING:


Video by PeteyK


Police arrests over chalking leads to uprising | l.a. activist
http://www.laactivist.com/2012/07/14/police-arrests-over-chalking-leads-to-uprising/


Art Walk Vendor Slams the LAPD's Tactics Against Occupy L.A.
http://laist.com/2012/07/13/art_walk_vendor_speaks_out_against.php


LATimes article. Note they are spray-painting over water-soluble chalk.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0714-artwalk-20120714,0,7994058.story
Also note the space given to CCA head Carol Shatz, attempting to create a "We good, they bad" dynamic.

Image by Todd Blose:


Photo by Damon:




Ch7 have on Facebook offered an apology and links to other videos. Occupy the media!

From an above video; I believe this occurred at Main and 4th:




Damon's photoset:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nohodamon/sets/72157630560888092/with/7563452964/


Amber Stephens @amberjamie99pct

Eyewitness: "Many non-occupiers began using chalk and creating their own art, which is when riot police attacked." @Occupyla #ows #ola
Retweeted by Jeff K. (#OYSlive)


"Due to unusual occurance in central division. The city of Los Angeles is on tactical alert status."

Severity:
    Minor - Minimal to no known threat to life or property

https://local.nixle.com/alert/4855473/


RyanRiceLA

[ChalkWalk] #OWS
http://t.co/Gm6i95aG
has compiled several good report-backs on the ArtWalk Uprising in #DTLA
http://t.co/FhiIS0f2 


CHALK WALK ACCUSES MAYOR OF ‘CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR’ 
Participants of Chalk Walk Respond to Mayor’s Statement & Selective Enforcement

http://occupylosangeles.org/?q=node%2F10110


Just a day or so before this attack, Michelle Shocked made a quick video on the subject. Note her being confronted by a CCA korporate kop:




Just a day after their attack upon Artwalk, LAPD are driving motorcycles into crowds of Occupiers:




Do not forget what LAPD did to citizens when the Kings won Lord Stanley's Cup:




ENORMOUS SURPRISE: LAPD SAY

the department "overall responded appropriately."

http://mobile.latimes.com/p.p?m=b&a=rp&id=2424335&postId=2424335&postUserId=7&sessionToken&catId=6978&curAbsIndex=2&resultsUrl=DID%3D6&DFCL=1000&DSB=rank%23desc&DBFQ=userId%3A7&DL.w&DL.d=10&DQ=sectionId%3A6978&DPS=0&DPL=3

Is there enough facepalm? I think not!


Live report thread of the incident as it happened; thank you to all who contributed!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002939669

F26. Occupying the Shadow Issues.

To quote OLA member Deirdre:

"The Safer Cities Initiative is being used to criminalize the homeless in an effort to move them out and gentrify the downtown area.   We believe that every person in Los Angeles, particularly the disenfranchised, has a right to shape and design our city's future.  At a cost of $6 million dollars a year, the Safer Cities Initiative was implemented in 2006 by the LA City Council and LAPD, allowing physical attacks by the police on people who refuse to move, seizures of the property of the homeless, and giving police the ability to make arrests for such 'crimes' as sitting on the sidewalk or tying your shoelaces.  SCI has taken the prejudice against, and harassment of, Skid Row residents to an unprecedented level."

Was with fellow Occupier Ron at a teach-in downtown (oddly enough, about protester's legal rights) and decided to walk a few blocks to the Occupy Skid Row encampment. Turns out we were right in time, as a police Captain in an unmarked car crept up to order the last tent standing be taken down per the "Safer City Initiative". I know that =I= feel safer, now that he's collapsed it. Yesh.





TC told us that police had been by earlier and told him that he's going to jail. Nothing specific, just threats. They'll find a reason. And it's a shame. I've met some decent police who would hopefully not go along with these destructive sorts of orders and behaviours.


See also the Occupyshadowmediala and official OLA youtube channels for reports:

http://www.youtube.com/user/OccupyLAMedia

http://www.youtube.com/user/Occupyshadowmediala?ob=0&feature=results_main

F20: Occupy Skid Row Los Angeles

I must preface by saying that I am not educated about Skid Row. I have only visited, recently, and can only repeat what I have heard. I am not a satisfactory representative regarding being able to discuss it, yet I will attempt to, from my admittedly limited perspective.

Please see a recent update as police are now attacking the Row, and we know who is behind it. June 22, 2012:

http://occupyobservations.blogspot.com/2012/06/occupy-skid-row-evicted-and-re-occupied.html

Los Angeles is the homeless capital of the world.



Downtown Los Angeles' Skid Row is the last stop for many hit by addiction and even simple chronic unemployment, and the issues of foreclosure scams, and mainly, the sad, disturbing overall lack of opportunity and support in the inner city. There are an estimated 5,000 people living on the streets in this area, in abject poverty. You can easily walk to the Los Angeles City Hall from Skid Row. (Passing City Hall today, I saw several homeless people living in the "park" kitty-corner to City Hall, in plain view of any looking out their window on that side of the building.)

This is not the entirety of the issue.  When I was in college in the mid 1980s, my psychology professor told of Reagan destroying national funding for mental health care. Many in the institutes had no family and no ability to care for themselves. Winter would kill them. Many in charge took the remaining care monies and purchased bus tickets to Los Angeles (specifically, Santa Monica, Regean's home town), so that at minimum, the ill would not freeze to death.

There are an estimated 40,000 total homeless in all of LA County.

What do our elected officials do about this? It is said that you may judge a society by how it treats its weak.

Watch "The Soloist" for one example of how the homeless were forced out of one downtown area so that developers could create lofts and housing for the ritzy. It is a true story.

Look at this link as well:

Villaraigosa quietly plans to hand Gensler $1 million meant for the poor 

"Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has decided to spend $1 million in federal grants — money that had been avidly sought by residents of Skid Row — to instead help out San Francisco–based Gensler, a 2,800-employee giant that enjoyed $463 million in revenue last year."

In other words, Skid Row is to them, both an obstacle and an opportunity to siphon monies. The human element does not enter into the equation. Apparently, not at all. And it gets even worse.

To add insult to injury, legislation far too loosely based upon the "broken window" theory, that a single broken window is like an invitation to rabble-rousers to destroy even more, has been enacted in the form of the "Safer City Initiative". What happens is that police drive past all residents at 6-ish AM and inform them that they must tear down any tents and neither sit nor lay on the sidewalk until the end of the day's curfew.





(Suffice to say, any "clean-up" would only be of homeless persons' property; I did not take any photos of the urine and fecal stains on the sidewalk near these signs, but obviously, they are both old and new and are most definitely not "cleaned-up". As evidenced by the overall aroma. This is not a knock against the homeless, this is a hit against the city, which provided porta-potties for Occupy; why can they not provide the same for those in horrible, desperate need? Hmm? There is plenty of money to pay for police in the area...)

And what happens to your property if you are seeing a social worker, eating, finding a bathroom, etc.? It can be confiscated and thrown away. Even your ID and medication.

You will be arrested if you do not comply with the tent take-down morning order. Occupy the Hood Los Angeles member Bilal Ali was arrested two days ago for just this (he and others have been camping on Skid Row, battling this "law"). And please note that few if any Skid Row residents actually completely pack up and leave each day, at least to this novice's experience; they flatten their tents and stay in place.



This law does nothing to "remove" any supposedly damaging influences or people; all it accomplishes is to demonize and inconvenience those already suffering too much. It removes dignity and human comfort and is unacceptable.

A "No tent take-down day" was declared and Occupy Los Angeles moved into Skid Row, joining Occupy the Hood LA, LA Community Action Network, and others against the SCI.



Per the observations in the Shadowmedia video, a call was put out for attendance from Occupiers and supporters with cameras and video equipment.

Police passed through to rouse everybody:



And they crept by twice an hour or more after that:



Police did at least five passes to observe before sending in the "redskirts", who are evidently hired by the local rich as a private security force. Meaning, they call the cops when they see anything they don't like. Basically, they are corporate enforcers. Corporations and business making law...

TC tells the truth about them to their faces:





The above video also explains about something interesting: a group called Catholic Workers give shopping carts to the homeless and there is law that they be left alone. Thank you Catholic Workers! What you are doing is the real deal! (Click the photos twice for larger versions, then your browser's "Back" button twice to return to this page.)





Offensive presence grew to four redskirts and two police:



When about six redskirts were gathered at the site, police finally left their vehicles to personally address "our leader" (we laughed, as whenever we are asked that question). "Hidden" in a mass of meaningless questions was the kicker: "How long are you considering staying?"



So TC and Jojo explain the situation on Skid Row, and the inner city:



 

The campaign to rescind LAPD Special Order 11:

http://www.stoplapdspying.org

Please note that the homeless on this street DID comply with the take-down order; what goes on when there are no cameras? 

Later in the day, there was a march to the "Twin Towers" incarceration facility to protest inhuman treatment of inmates:

http://occupyobservations.blogspot.com/2012/02/f20-occupy-solidarity-with-prisoner.html


It was not all tension; Occupy Los Angeles demands to have fun:



A little rock and roll air guitar to accompany the boom box:



Kicking back:







A group of students from Canada dropped by to learn:



And of course:



Check out Occupy the Hood, Occupy the Hood LA, and more on Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/OccupyTheHood

https://www.facebook.com/OccupyTheHoodLosAngeles


Check the occupyshadowmediala channel on youtube for reports:

http://www.youtube.com/user/Occupyshadowmediala


Photo slideshow of all pics, more than posted here, mainly of OLA people:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/11165691@N03/sets/72157629066081434/show/


And here is a far deeper article than my own, thanks Dan!

http://www.laactivist.com/2012/02/23/a-night-and-a-morning-with-occupy-skid-row/