By David Drucker and Timothy Kudo
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Without Rage Against The Machine’s presence to draw a crowd, the
protest "pit" across from Staples Center remained mostly empty on
the second day of the Democratic National Convention.
The minor skirmishes that did erupt occurred in the trendy
shopping district just southwest of Pershing Square. The skirmishes
involved relatively few anarchists, clad in their traditional black
shirts and bandanna masks; relatively few, that is, compared to the
volume of Los Angeles Police Department officers who mobilized in
response.
While 1,000 to 2,000 protesters back at the "pit," including at
least one UCLA-based group, convened to denounce United States
policy towards Iraq, the protest of the day — if judged by the
number of people involved — began at the other end of downtown
near city hall.
The event wasn’t so much the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and
Transgender rights march that wound through an empty downtown,
rather, it was the LAPD’s tactical response.
An estimated 750 marchers were met by approximately 200 squad
cars that carried four officers each, in addition to officers
already stationed in the area.
"We’re in a situation where we can’t win," said LAPD spokesman
David Kalish.
"If we keep the peace, we’re accused of over-kill," he
continued. "And if things happen, people accuse us of not doing
enough."
Around dusk the LAPD encircled the LGBT marchers and neither
side seemed certain what to do. Subsequently, LAPD officers in riot
gear ran to get near the crowd.
But protesters misinterpreted the move as an aggressive rather
than cautionary action, and the smell of vinegar, used to quell the
effects of tear gas, filled the air.
Both Monday and Tuesday, LAPD officers employed military-style
discipline to get where they needed to go, and these rapid
movements caused protesters to recoil in fear and prepare to
evacuate.
"It was a little scary but also interesting," said Josh Weinman,
a participant in the march, unsure how to react to the LAPD. "I’m
not prepared for something like that."
But the biggest story of the day may be the uneventful and
sparsely populated protest pit.
Despite the fact that a recent American Civil Liberties Union
law suit on behalf of D2K L.A. forced the LAPD to create a larger
protest venue in closer proximity to Staples Center, the designated
protest area, complete with a stage and sound system, remained less
than half full for the duration of Tuesday’s scheduled
demonstrations.
The participants of an evening demonstration that included
UCLA’s Muslim Students Association appeared genuine in their
commitment to their cause of ending U.S. influence in the Middle
East.
Yet judging by the number of protesters, if delegates to the DNC
consider adopting this issue — or any issue — based on garnering
additional votes for Vice President Al Gore in November, they may
be better off supporting the police who stood guard on the other
side of the fence.