I participated in the May Day Protest in Los Angeles yesterday. It was a great day. There were so many people taking their valuable time and dedicating to a common cause...the betterment of mankind.
As I was driving into Los Angeles on the I-5 the traffic was very heavy. I decided to take one of the short-cuts into Los Angeles, which is to exit by Dodger Stadium. When I did that my heart dropped, as I entered "the war zone" as I saw the police gathering for their defensive tactics on the protestors, many of whom were "my kids" from the Occupy movement. I did a quick about face, as even I was scared at the massiveness of the police force, and I had not even committed a crime.
All the way into Los Angeles I prayed for a peaceful protest, which it was. The Occupiers do not want hatred and violence, as is generally portrayed by the network media. They want to see love and humanity restored and if one has spent time with them they will feel it in their spirits. I had to see how the protest was portrayed by the media and, just as I could have predicted, it tried to demonize a great movement. Take a look at ABC's coverage:
As we peacefully proceeded down the streets in Los Angeles, the police continually tried to intimidate us. They would gather in massive numbers,. They tried to break up the protest groups in order to diminish our effective representation of issues that need to be addressed. We had to continually remind them that protesting was protected by the U.S. Constitution (you would think they would have learned that in Police Academy 101). We even had the support and understanding of the bystanders on the sidewalks as they chanted to the police "Let the kids through."
I wonder how much money was spent for all of the law enforcement officers that had nothing to do other than drink their sodas and eat their fast food as they watched the parade. This is indeed misappropriation of the taxpayers money and the officials that orchestrated this should be held accountable.
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