LAPD Mistakes Hyde Park Library Cleanup for 'Occupy' Protest, Orders Youth Group to Disperse

• The idiocy is not news to me.

• I think the cops have done very unfair.But thankfully the police did back off at the last moment and The CRA declares on its site that it hopes to transform the ex-library into public housing by 2014 i think this help be great.

• LAPD has always been a bunch of crooked cops. They have a very long history of looking for reasons to beat on citizens. And they wonder why their hated so much by so many jeeze. 

• Yeah, really good point. Those illegal aliens have a lot of political power. Don't you miss the good old days when rich, racist white men had all of the power, and not just most of it?

• sir this is true i commend you for speaking up for the officers of the LAPD and for tring to inform the igorant

• This story is not remotely accurate, so I would like to clear a couple things up.    For starters, this was not a community clean-up, it was a protest planned to last 4-days. The Hyde Park Library is probably one of the cleanest "abandoned" buildings in South LA.  Other than a few weeds, one spot of graffiti (on a door 100 feet from the sidewalk), and a small amount of windblown trash from the street, the property is very well cared for.  Had it been a "community clean-up" as represented, there would have been no need for the two Attorneys from the Lawyer’s Guild, and over a hundred anti-police and 99% protest signs in boxes. Plus, there are dozens of derelict properties in South LA that are in dire need of a good community clean-up. The Hyde Park Library simply is not one of them.   The officers did not believe that it was an "occupy LA' event, however, the organizer, Kim McGill stated that they were acting in “solidarity with Occupy LA”. She also stated that they were demanding that the city lease them the property for $1 a year.  Furthermore, McGill confirmed that they intended to stay on the property until Friday night (4 days), and acknowledged they did not have permission to do so, or to enter the property.    Regarding the response of the LAPD, There were approximately 10 police officers, maybe 7 cars (not 20), and a jail bus that was brought out after 14 of the protesters stated that they were willing to be arrested rather than to leave.  The helicopter was on regular patrol (not requested) and merely circled for about one minute to check on the officers on-scene (a normal occurrence). The LAPD spent several hours reasoning with the protesters rather than making arrests, even waiting as the final hold out (a young lady) refused to leave. McGill finally convinced her that being arrested was not going to change the situation.   The command staff of the LAPD told McGill that they supported the idea of a youth center being opened at the location, but advised her that entering the property illegally, trespassing, and taking over was not the way to accomplish this goal.  Once the protest was moved to the sidewalk, the LAPD left one sergeant and 2 officers to ensure that they did not renter the property and did not interfere with traffic by entering the roadway.  The rest of the officers left the scene. The sergeant did advise McGill that she needed to keep the protest out of the street, and that anyone who entered the street would be cited. This is common sense, they were on Crenshaw Blvd and the street was open to traffic.      So, to be totally fair, the LAPD acted exactly as they should have. The lesson to be learned here is, seek permission before you enter the property of another. When that property is fenced and posted, it is obvious that the owner wants people to stay out. It is always more dramatic to invent an over inflated story about the police to help muster short term public support; however, being moral and telling the truth will take you much farther.

• Huh?

• Well, I don't know what you expect of them, but the Mayor of L.A. and the Occupy movement do expect them to protect the rights of foreign nationals in the country illegaly.

• That's not true!!! They do have side pockets that carry donuts, in case they get called away from the donut shop to help an illegal alien.

• Mike, the "OCCUPIERS", are INTERNATIONALIST, OPEN BORDERS, morons, that are more of a hindrance than a help, when it comes to Americans straigtening out their nation. Just listen to what these people are concerned with. It isn't Walll Street only. 

• Zuma dog is a great guy but he'll get killed before the clown Mayor of L.A. or the worthless corrupt and utterly stupid, L.A.City Council ever gives him any respect as a citizen. Kevin James, radio talk show host was booted, because he exposed the corrupt crap that the above mentioned "leaders" of Lost Angeles are involved in on a daily basis.

• Well you got to understand, they have millions of foreign nationals to protect as a priority. "We clean your toilets!!"---Mayor of the satelite city of Mexico, L.A. the honorable Alcalde A. Vilar.----raigosa.

• No it isn't. More retarded was when illegal alien mobs and their leftist supporters, attacked the cops at McArthurer Park a while back, and the cops got screwed, and sued, rather than the illegal aliens. Now that IS MORE RETARDED. Beck supported the illegals ALL THE WAY. Conclusion: LOS ANGELES IS CONTROLED BY ILLEGAL ALIENS.

• Good old chief Beck, and his handlers. They've never met a a foreign national illegaly in this nation that they have'nt loved. Too bad their "duties" constantly conflict with the rights of  U.S.CITIZENS!!

• There's nothing disorienting about the drumming! Drum for justice!

• Oh, but it's even easier to criticize them from a safe, comfortable distance. I'm particularly impressed by the people sitting on their butts criticizing Occupiers for being lazy, and/or criticizing them for being ineffective when they've had a better effect on the national discussion in the last 3 months than the DNC has had in the last 10 years.

• When will we call upon our military to protect "Our" Freedoms... we send our young men and women overseas to fight for others freedom and rights... It time we brought them back to fight here at home for our beloved country Stand Strong... "We The People" will have our land, our freedoms, our rights back... Stay United...

• Love the cops.  Go talk to them, learn if they are really evil or if they are willing to work with the community.  Bring them on board or at least the ones who want to come aboard.  Say hay cops we want to clean up this public space to improve the community want to be a part of it.

• asshole cops. 

• Interesting how they target Occupy LA specially with the $5K bail. Sounds discriminatory. Sounds like a lawsuit.

• Educate 'em. :)

• FYI-- It's not trespassing unless:  (1)  properly posted with warning signs with the proper municipal code, and (2) the person in control of the property asks you to leave-- and you do not-- and then (3) the police are called, ask you to leave, and you do not. That-- or the owner of the property has a signed declaration on file with LE allowing them to act on the owner's behalf superceding steps 1 and 2. But your 2nd and 3rd points are salient.

• Once again, LAPD demonstrates how far they have strayed from serving the community and that they see our youth as criminals by default.

• No, seriously... every single cop working today needs to be fired, their instructors need to be fired, and that whole approach to law and policing needs to be rebooted.

• More like "Police state bulks up".

• Great idea, but next time how about getting permission before trespassing. Also kinda curious that they just happened to have all these signs made & ready for what was supposed to be a community cleanup project. And what was the "little drummer boy" going to be cleaning?

• Police state cometh.

• Too bad the video doesn't show the group cleaning up rather than standing around with signs and people banging on drums. My mom would have yelled at me in Chinese and say, 'what the hell are you doing, drop the sign and pick up broom!"

• The police need to take a chill pill.  I know they got fancy, shiny, new military weapons from the feds so they could fight terrorists but a group of kids trying to do something for their neighborhood could hardly be called terrorists unless soap and water are now classified as WMDs. Seriously.  I know you want to clamp down on any protest that might effect the status quo (your own pockets) but you need to stop this crap before someone gets seriously hurt like the Veteran in Oakland.

• Picking on  a bunch of kids doing a little civic duty by cleaning up their neighborhood sounds like a threat to democracy. I'm surprised the cops didn't use jack boots and batons to clear the clean-up crowd from destroying American values. LAPD would be more effective and make LA a better place if the cops went to city hall and hauled away the developers and business people who Occupy the bowels of city hall and heap piles or cash on politician prostitutes who then allow developers to build whatever they want. The city and Mayor Tony V. won't allow the Occupy movement to assemble but welcome with open arms developers who game the system by asking for millions in handouts (see Community Redevelopment Agency). As Richard Pryor once said, "We went down to the courthouse to find justice and that's what we found -- Just Us." Better still, my granddaddy put it this way, "There is no justice and there never was."

• And what do we expect from jackbooted thugs?

• Goes to show you how stupid the LAPD are.

• Speaking as one of the organizers for this, we actually don't have a connection with OWSLA. Whenever organizing arises, it is sad that it is now seen as "another occupation" This liberation of public space was actually supported by the community when we went doorknocking the day before. It doesn't come to a surprise that the cops would crack down on us though.

• Yup every day on the West Steps at 7:30 p.m.

• At some point you'll realize how easy it is to steer the Occupy crowd toward necessary goals, simply by attending their GA meetings and posing intelligent agendas when called upon. ;)

• Too much work. Not enough glory.

• Hey Chief Beck, you moron!

• The LAPD is nothing but a bunch of lunatics running around with Guns. 

• At some point Occupy LA will realize that they need to turn their focus on entities like the CRA and the Los Angeles City Council and Mayor. Zuma Dogg tried to tell them this, but they just beat him up. Especially in LA, business (outside of real estate developers) are paper tigers and NOT the source of the Occupiers' woes.

• cops just dont like people who dont shop at LA Live.

• *facepalm*

• this is the most retarded police action ever....go arrest real criminals and get off our backs!! damn !!!

• Stupid. Fucking. Cops. 

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