Law Enforcement Used Excessive Force Against LA Protestors

LOS ANGELES: On Monday, a Human Rights Watch report said that law enforcement has misused its power against LA protestors while protesting against Trump’s immigration policies in June.

Overview of the report:

In a peaceful protest across Southern California against Trump’s immigration policies, officers opened fire upon protestors. Officers opened flash-bang grenades, pepper balls, and tear gas upon protestors. Many of them got injured.

The Right’s Group Director said, “Law enforcement officers used brutal, excessive, and unnecessary force against people standing up for human rights and those reporting on the protests.”

The protest started on June 6 in response to Trump’s brutal immigration policies. Trump ordered a raid on undocumented migrants, especially in Latino cities. People were peacefully protesting in Los Angeles, but Trump suddenly sent 4000 National Guardsmen and 700 Marines into the city.

The report was made after the Human Rights Watch visited the protest sites and interviewed a dozen people. The report shows 65 such cases where demonstrators were shown to be injured by law enforcement officers. However, the cases are much higher than documented in the report.

The report shows that “officers shot people at very close range with kinetic impact projectiles, leaving them in serious pain for days. Before shooting one of them in the groin, the officer said, ‘I’m going to pop you, as you are taking up my focus.’”

The report also shows that people got injuries like broken bones, concussions, and severe eye damage. The Los Angeles County Department said, “It does not deploy less-lethal tools indiscriminately. Such tools are used only when all de-escalation efforts have been exhausted.”

The law enforcement agency said that officers should inform the supervisor while using force. He said, “A thorough, fair, and objective review,  including analyzing evidence and video footage to determine that the actions taken were objectively reasonable and fully aligned with policy.”

The US Constitution allows a smooth and transparent protest as a gesture of freedom of speech in the country against any unrest.