Los Angeles Police Department officers were attacked on Thursday with high-powered beams during the second night of protests near a public park that houses dozens of people, video showed.
Law enforcement “declared an unlawful assembly” after demonstrators wielded “high-intensity lights in an attempt to blind officers,” the department said, adding that “several instigators” in the crowd were an issue throughout the night. Some members of the media were detained but not arrested.
It’s unclear if any protesters were apprehended during the brief unrest.
Video of the incident captioned “IT ABOUT TO GET VIOLENT” showed demonstrators standing toe-to-toe with police in riot gear.
LAPD just called an unlawful assembly. The cops are preparing to get violent.
ALL EYES ON ECHO PARK LAKE. IT ABOUT TO GET VIOLENT. @MitchOFarrell ordered this. #EchoParkRiseUp pic.twitter.com/7Pk0JfP9Al
— People’s City Council – Los Angeles (@PplsCityCouncil) March 26, 2021
The events stem from the city’s attempt to clear out Echo Park, which is populated by about 100 people, and erect fencing in the area.
A similar protest unfolded on Wednesday when law enforcement issued two “unlawful assembly” orders and multiple “dispersal” commands after a group of demonstrators hurled “rocks, bottles, and smoke bombs” at officers.
Footage taken at the event showed police in riot gear repeatedly telling protesters to “back up” while those in the crowd yelled expletives at the uniformed authorities. Other video showed Los Angeles police personnel pointing nonlethal launchers at the crowd, but the department said reports that it used tear gas were “completely inaccurate.”
Throughout the evening, demonstrators reportedly chanted, “Whose park? Our park!”
One person was arrested after activists began to gather at daylight in support of the over 170 makeshift structures and tents that were present at the park. City officials placed signs throughout the area commanding people to vacate for “repairs” and remove property, including “tents, chairs, tables, backpacks, bags, and personal items.”
“They want these people out of here, out of the park. Yeah, they’re going to get involved just to go to a hotel,” Carlos Marroquin, a protester at the event, told a local CBS Los Angeles station on Wednesday. “But what happens after that? Those vouchers are not permanent. They’re temporary.”
Law enforcement officers were there to facilitate a “safe” effort to erect fencing in the area, said Los Angeles City Councilman Mitch O’Farrell.
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“Department personnel are deployed in that area so that those efforts can begin in a safe and unimpeded manner,” he tweeted. “Our homeless service providers will return tomorrow morning to continue their work with the park’s unhoused residents to offer shelter and services to anyone who wants and needs the assistance.”
Mayor Eric Garcetti’s office did not respond to a request for comment from the Washington Examiner.
