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Protesters got onto the nearby freeway and blocked traffic, while the LAPD started saying that while most of the protesters were peaceful, there were these opportunistic “splinter groups” taking advantage of the moment to run wild.Then, most of Monday night looked like this:Crowd of 100+ gathered in Leimert Park Plaza to protest Trayvon Martin verdict. pic.twitter.com/wSToJlgxi4 via @kaceymontoya
— LAist (@LAist) July 14, 2013
Before I could even arrive on the scene, there was a spectacular show of force by the LAPD, and by the time I got to Leimert Park, there were 300 cops in the area sticking their cop car noses into any group of people gathering on the sidewalk. Not far from where I stood, journalists were being mugged by random passersby.The scene at Leimert Park. #TrayvonMartin https://t.co/pxc3L8yUnA
— Ruben Vives (@LATvives) July 16, 2013
Perhaps most importantly, a Walmart had been stormed, and the LAPD had decided enough was enough. They declared the protest an “unlawful assembly,” and broke it up faster than you can say “cleanup on aisle seven.” Soon the streets were so serene, they were able to safely escort newly elected mayor Eric Garcetti in for a press conference. I snuck in through a throng of onlookers to take photos with my smartphone.
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