Approximately 60 youth, radicals, black blockers, and others marched in Santa Ana to protest police brutality, and highlight a police killing and coverup by the SAPD. The protest, which was scheduled for the same day as the October 22nd march and rally in downtown Los Angeles, was loud, raucous, and sometimes angry.
The march started at Bristol and McFadden, a busy corner in the mostly Latino city[1]. It walked eastward down Bristol, as residents shouted words of support, and drivers honked in solidarity. Several of the demonstrators had pro-bike/anti-car messages, but they seemed to fall on deaf ears. Some marchers crisscrossed the street, making their way through the rush hour traffic jam, waving their signs. A gangster gave a demonstrator some hostility, so marchers altered their chant to "f--- the police, f--- gangs" (it was an instant critique of the false duality of "good" and "bad" in law enforcement).
Turning down First Street to get to the police station, the march decided to momentarily take over the right hand lane of traffic. Drivers were only slightly inconvenienced, and passed by in the second lane, some even honking support.
Arriving at the Santa Ana PD station, the demo got disorganized as a specific program of events wasn't planned. People improvised, writing on the street with chalk, shouting epithets at the people in the imposing granite and steel PD building, waving signs with "stop police brutality" and "r.i.p. eak"[2], and milling around. This writer was surprised that the SA PD was mostly caucasian, given the local demographics; in LA, the police are mostly people of color. It reflected the persistent conservative nature of OC.[3]
As the sun set, the stiuation got tense when several police officers emerged from the police headquarters, and stood on their steps looking menacing. Something was up.
Traffic was slow. The cops had blocked it off at the eastern and western ends of the street. Demonstrators gathered for a quick meeting, and decided to end the day and march back. Suddenly, like a machine, a small riot squad was disgorged from the rear entrance of the PD, blocking the marchers from going back to Bristol.
The threat of violence loomed. Not only were the police better equipped, they were generally taller and heavier than the protesters. They also had face shields to protect their piercings, if they had any. And few witnesses were around.
People made some quick decisions, and most seemed to agree that getting away from the phalanx of police was a good idea, and bolted one half block westward, fragmenting the mass. One activist on a bicycle was pulled off arrested (and was released much later without charges). Some organizers were left behind to pick up the signs that were scattered around. A small girl was frightened and started crying, and had to be reassured -- she'd be kept safe. Within a couple tense minutes, though, everyone was re-grouped, and a decision was made to return to the start via a more residential route.
The return walk was accompanied by a police escort of cars and a ghetto bird (helicopter). Police were probably under the assumption that there were vandals among the crowd. It turned out, instead, that many of the marchers were residents, and some were getting recognized by their neighbors; people broke off in small groups to go home. As we walked farther up McFadden, it seemed like a real community event, like a small town parade where you know the people who are walking.
It all ended back at Bristol and McFadden with a veggie and rice soup prepared by SA Food Not Bombs, and organizing a team to go check in on the status of the apprehended protester. Though it was tense, there were fewer police than at similar events, and the energy was positive.
1. Santa Ana Demographics
http://www.myoc.com/community/santaana/demographics/ 2. Forthcoming article about the Eak, a youth gunned down by SAPD.
3. Comments about the political climate and demographics
http://www.cjnetworks.com/~cubsfan/places/orange_county.html