by Associated Press
Saturday, Aug. 19, 2000 at 4:37 PM
For the thousands of demonstrators who came
to the Democratic National Convention to press their causes, the
last day on the streets ended simply: No shoving, no rubber bullets
and no arrests.
Friday, Aug. 18, 2000
Convention Activists Protest LAPD
LOS ANGELES (AP) - For the thousands of demonstrators who came
to the Democratic National Convention to press their causes, the
last day on the streets ended simply: No shoving, no rubber bullets
and no arrests.
After a final festive march from the convention site to the jail
where nearly 200 of their number had been booked over the previous
week, they simply turned around and went home early Friday.
``This resistance is not going to die out,'' said a masked woman
who identified herself as ``Dandelion,'' a member of the loose-knit
anarchist group known among protesters as the ``black bloc.''
``This may be the last day of the Democratic convention, but the
revolution has just begun.''
Outside the jail, another masked anarchist tried to urge
protesters to continue blocking the street. ``Are we just going to
go home and watch our TVs?'' he asked.
Most ignored him as the crowd melted away down side streets
under the watchful eye of hundreds of riot-gear-clad police
officers.
Police also declared victory.
Chief Bernard Parks, shaking hands with a line of officers after
the marchers departed, said the department met its goals. He said
his troops kept the city safe, made sure the convention wasn't
disrupted and allowed citizens to exercise their First Amendment
right to protest.
``I think they did a wonderful job,'' Parks said of his
officers. ``Tactically, it's textbook.''
Some 2,500 protesters had converged outside the convention at
the downtown Staples Center on Thursday as Vice President Al Gore
accepted the party's presidential nomination. They denounced the
two-party system as a sham, and called for action on causes as
diverse as animal rights, the environment and the plight of
immigrant workers during a convention they said was dominated by
corporate interests.
Unlike a similar gathering Monday night that erupted in
violence, this demonstration ended quietly. As the convention shut
down after Gore's acceptance speech, the protesters set out on
their last march to the jail some 2 1/2 miles away.
The total number of arrests for the week and the preceding
weekend was 192, according to police. Most were for misdemeanors,
and 40 of the cases were dismissed by the time the delegates headed
for their hotels.
Also Thursday, officials acknowledged that police had undercover
officers among the protesters.
Those officers provided valuable information during a tense
standoff outside the convention center on Wednesday evening, Police
Commission Vice Pesident Raquelle de la Rocha said. The officers
passed the word that black-clad anarchists had decided against
causing trouble because of the large police presence, she said.
Undercover officers also warned that a group of animal-rights
activists in the downtown business district intended to cause
mischief in a McDonald's, she said. Police arrested the group.
Original: AP - Convention Activists Protest LAPD