LAPD fires flash-bang grenades, less-lethal rounds at protesters

San Francisco Chronicle​

2 days ago

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles police lobbed flash-bang grenades and shot less-lethal munitions at peaceful protesters Wednesday as Angelenos took to the streets in a sixth day of demonstrations denouncing President Donald Trump's crackdown on America's immigrant community.
Several people said they were struck — and injured — by the projectiles, and some people said they heard dispersal orders given well before the 8 p.m. curfew. The LAPD did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday night.
In recent days, protesters have convened on the city's federal complex in downtown Los Angeles.
On Wednesday, however, protesters shifted tactics, and gathered at Pershing Square, a public park about three quarters of a mile from City Hall. There, protesters held a peaceful rally and then marched down Hill Street to City Hall, chanting slogans in Spanish and English, decrying ICE's deportation raids.
'I'm tired of turning on the TV, crying, and seeing families ripped apart,' said Billy Tagle, 45, who marched carrying a huge homemade banner emblazoned with a picture of a heart made up of Mexican and American flags and the slogan 'United we Stand.'
He said he was tired of seeing President Trump belittling Californians.
'He didn't even give Gov. Gavin Newsom or the mayor the chance to defuse the situation,' he said, speaking of the protests that erupted earlier this week.
'Right now I feel a lot of unity — we care about our people,' he said, as chants of 'ICE out of LA' echoed behind him.
At City Hall, protesters gathered on the building's steps, as a line of police officers decked in riot gear looked on.
Some protesters handed water out to each other, others line danced and played musical instruments, chanting 'Peaceful Protest' as officers looked on.
Soon, however, the evening took a dark turn, as police began clearing out the crowd, lobbing flash-bang grenades and chasing protesters. People reported seeing officers fire less-lethal rounds and others said they were injured by them.
Among the people chased by police was Sara Alura.
'I didn't have high expectations of the police, but it's shocking,' she said. 'A total lack of recognition of our First Amendment rights to assemble and to express ourselves. It's shocking but not surprising.'
Across from City Hall, Donaldo Angel Pedro, 25, was decked out in a pith helmet and a tan vest on which he'd painted the words 'Jesus forgives prostitutes, not hypocrites.'
He and others fled back toward Grand Park as police unleashed flash-bang grenades.
'They're getting afraid of the crowd size,' he said, gesturing at the officers attempting to hem in the demonstrators.
As police advanced, the crowd retreated up into Gloria Molina Grand Park. Among them was Megan Marmon, 32, a Los Angeles resident originally from Alameda.
The police response was a reminder of the city's response to the 2020 protests against George Floyd's murder, she said.
'Everything I've seen here from protesters has been entirely peaceful,' she said. But in just a few minutes, she witnessed three people shot with what she described as rubber bullets.
'The aggression from LAPD feels totally insane,' she said.
Nearby, a 49-year-old man who only identified himself as Quincy struggled with a bandage on his elbow.
Minutes earlier, he said, he'd witnessed an altercation between two protesters. As the two men neared him, he said, police fired less-lethal munitions, and a round caught him just above the elbow, leaving a nasty cut and a bump the size of a small egg.
'If the cops aren't trying to cause problems, they're doing a terrible job,' he said, as a field medic re-wrapped his arm. Moments later, Miles Ma, 31, walked by, and revealed a similar injury on his torso.
He'd been taking photos when the police had ordered protesters to disperse. As he turned and ran, a less-lethal round caught him in the stomach.
'They are rude,' he said. 'It's too much.'