Protesters plaster signs at LAPD chief’s home during another night of demonstrations
Demonstrators took to the streets of downtown Los Angeles in another round of protests, and one group plastered signs at LAPD Chief Michel Moore’s home Thursday night amid the continuing nationwide outcry following the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin.
After making their way inside the gated community in Porter Ranch where Moore lives, a number of protesters attached posters to the front of the police chief’s residence before leaving the area, according to video of the incident.
Some of the signs read, “Fire Chief Moore,” “Defund LAPD Now” and “Prosecute Killer Cops.”
The group Black Future Project — one of many new activist groups that sprang up in L.A. amid the protests the followed the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis — staged the action, according to social media. One protester reportedly broke a lamp beside Moore’s driveway as the group left.
For more than six weeks, a group of protesters have camped out across from L.A. City Hall, forming a protest community that has grown into a constant symbol of calls for police reform.
LAPD spokeswoman Officer Rosario Cervantes, confirmed Friday morning that officers took a vandalism report at Moore’s home and that no arrests had been made.
Elsewhere Thursday, a crowd of roughly 150 to 200 people marched near City Hall in downtown L.A., according to reports from the scene.
Video showed protesters chanting, “Black lives matter,” and carrying signs that read, “Care, Not Cops,” “Destroy White Supremacy” and “Defund LAPD.”
The marching crowd was followed by cars honking their horns in support.
No arrests were made and no injuries were reported during the protest, Cervantes said.
That’s a far cry from the previous night, when scuffles broke out between protesters and police in the downtown 3rd Street tunnel.
Several injuries were reported among protesters and officers in the clash late Wednesday night, and 10 people were arrested on charges including suspicion of vandalism, battery of a police officer and unlawfully attempting to take a person from police custody, authorities said.
Several scuffles broke out and 10 people were arrested during a protest in downtown Los Angeles late Wednesday
Demonstrations have been a near-nightly occurrence since the shooting of Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, in Kenosha, Wis.
Cellphone video shows Blake being shot as he leaned into his car with his children inside. A white officer fired seven bullets into his back at point-blank range.
Blake is hospitalized in serious condition and is paralyzed.
The U.S. Department of Justice has opened an investigation into the shooting, which began with officers attempting to arrest Blake on the street while responding to a report of a domestic dispute.
This once industrial and union town, like much of America, is facing a reckoning after the police shooting of Jacob Blake.
Since the shooting, hundreds have protested nightly in Kenosha. Police on Wednesday arrested 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse — a white youth who has often praised police — in the fatal shooting of two people during the protests.
While expressing support for “the many voices who are coming together in anger, frustration and protest against racism and violence,” L.A. County public health officials in a statement urged who participate in protests to stay vigilant about the threat of the coronavirus, which can be easily transmitted in crowds.
Officials said residents should stay home if they feel ill, frequently wash or sanitize their hands, wear a face covering, maintain physical distance and consider wearing eye protection.
“When you are outside, for any activity where others are around, please wear a face covering at all times and keep at least six feet of distance from anyone not in your household,” county Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said in a statement. “This is the best way we can care for and protect the people around us.”
City News Service and Times staff writers Jaweed Kaleem and Chris Megerian contributed to this report.
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