Here in L.A., unlike other cities, there’s been little police harassment at protests and demonstrations. In fact, LAPD tends to work with organizers to insure things go smoothly.
It wasn’t always that way. A few years back the National Lawyers Guild in L.A. sued LAPD on three occasions for police misconduct at protests – and won. The upshot was LAPD decided it was simpler to work with demonstrators than risk getting sued again.
According to Jim Lafferty of the NLG in L.A., when Bush came here last summer, the Secret Service wanted to block the area for six blocks around and disallow an ANSWER protest. No, LAPD said, if you do that, the NLG will sue us and they will win. Besides, ANSWER organizers are professionals, they know what they’re doing. Let them have their protest.
And so we did.