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

 Nick Diamano is an expert cash for gold analyst and author. Having both a professional business degree and extensive understanding of financial markets and the jewelry industry,

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. 

This story is not remotely accurate, so I wouldlike to clear a couple things up. 

For starters, this was not a communityclean-up, it was a protest planned to last 4-days. The Hyde Park Libraryis probably one of the cleanest "abandoned" buildings inSouth LA.  Other than a few weeds, one spot of graffiti (on a door 100feet from the sidewalk), and a small amount of windblown trash from the street,the property is very well cared for.  Had it been a "communityclean-up" as represented, there would have been no need for the two Attorneys from the Lawyer’s Guild, and overa hundred anti-police and 99% protest signs in boxes. Plus, there aredozens of derelict properties in South LA that are in dire need of a goodcommunity 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 theywere acting in “solidarity with Occupy LA”. She also stated that they weredemanding that the city lease them the property for $1 a year.  Furthermore, McGill confirmed that theyintended to stay on the property until Friday night (4 days), and acknowledgedthey did not have permission to do so, or to enter the property. 

Regarding the response of the LAPD, There were approximately10 police officers, maybe 7 cars (not 20), and a jail bus that was brought outafter 14 of the protesters stated that they were willing to be arrested ratherthan to leave.  The helicopter was on regularpatrol (not requested) and merely circled for about one minute to check on the officerson-scene (a normal occurrence). The LAPD spent several hours reasoning with theprotesters rather than making arrests, even waiting as the final hold out (ayoung lady) refused to leave. McGill finally convinced her that being arrestedwas not going to change the situation.

The command staff of the LAPD told McGill thatthey supported the idea of a youth center being opened at the location, butadvised her that entering the property illegally, trespassing, and taking overwas not the way to accomplish this goal. Once the protest was moved to the sidewalk, the LAPD left one sergeantand 2 officers to ensure that they did not renter the property and did notinterfere with traffic by entering the roadway. The rest of the officers left the scene. The sergeant did advise McGillthat she needed to keep the protest out of the street, and that anyone whoentered the street would be cited. This is common sense, they were on CrenshawBlvd and the street was open to traffic.  

So, to be totally fair, the LAPD acted exactly asthey should have. The lesson to be learned here is, seek permission before youenter the property of another. When that property is fenced and posted, it is obviousthat the owner wants people to stay out. It is always more dramatic to inventan 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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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. 

When will we start holding officers accountable for theirbrutality and excessive use of force?  Evictingprotesters is Unconstitutional and endangers the basic rights of EVERY lastAmerican.  Is this the country we wereraised in, were men and women are beaten, gassed, pepper-sprayed and arrestedfor their disapproval of the government? We have to be careful to protect our Constitutional Rights!  Raise awareness and do your part with thesefree posters I designed for the movement on my artist’s blog at http://dregstudiosart.blogspot...