A dilemma for the social justice warriors, which protest to attend.
Via LA Times:
The Los Angeles Police Department is bracing for a long weekend of political demonstrations following the California arrival of GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump and boisterous protests in Orange County.
In the aftermath of clashes at an appearance by Trump in Costa Mesa on Thursday evening, thousands of unionized janitors took to the streets of downtown Los Angeles on Friday afternoon to demand higher wages and expanded rights.
The janitors, whose contract expires Saturday, began their rally at Grand Park at noon. Janitors say they could strike as early as next week against what they say are unfair labor practices by major janitorial companies.
On Saturday, supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders are expected to converge on downtown L.A. for a march and rally tied to International Workers’ Day, or May Day, on Sunday.
But the largest crowds are expected to gather downtown Sunday to demand equality for immigrants and protest Trump’s controversial statements about people from Mexico and Muslims.
“We have a very active three days with the Janitors for Justice today at midday, Bernie Sanders on Saturday and May Day march Sunday,” said LAPD Assistant Chief Michel Moore. “We’ll be using the play book that we have successfully used for a number of years.”
The janitors’ march is unpermitted and may disrupt the city’s downtown core, but police will accommodate the protest, Moore said.
Demonstrations in Costa Mesa on Thursday resulted in 17 arrests and damage to several police cars as large crowds of Latino protesters vented outrage at Trump’s claim that Mexico was sending rapists over the border.
On Friday, Moore said he believed the Los Angeles demonstrations would be far more calm, but noted that the images from Costa Mesa were alarming.
“It is disturbing to law enforcement as much as all Americans … it’s almost the ’60s again,” he said.
HT: Wirecutter