Police and protesters were involved in violent clashes in downtown LA, as hundreds of people took to the streets to protest against the US Supreme Court’s possible overturning of Roe v Wade, which guarantees a woman’s right to abortion.
The incident occurred after around 400 people gathered outside a Los Angeles courthouse on Tuesday night (3 May), less than 24 hours after it was revealed in a leaked draft opinion that the court was allegedly poised to overturn the landmark 1973 decision which legalised abortion nationwide.
At the protest, pro-choice advocates spoke passionately in front of the courthouse brandishing signs that read: 'We need to talk about the elephant in the womb', 'I am a woman not a womb' and 'Pro-woman, pro-child, pro-choice'.
“I couldn’t believe it,” said Sarah Smith, an LA woman who attended the demonstration with her friend Lee Cunningham, of the alleged plans. “I didn’t think this would happen.”
“This has been a process now for at least six years, and it was just a matter of time,” Cunningham said. “They are not going to send us back. We’re not moving backward."
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Police began receiving reports about the event shortly after the demonstrations began, claiming protesters were attempting to surround patrol cars and allegedly tried to take over a Metro bus.
According to LAPD Chief Michel Moore, officers attempted to disperse the group at around 9:00pm, but were met with force as the crowd allegedly began throwing rocks and bottles at the riot cops, injuring at least one officer.
An ambulance was called to the scene, but authorities could not confirm the officer’s condition at this time.
LAPD then declared a citywide tactical alert for a few hours, placing all officers on high alert.
Security cameras captured more than a dozen law enforcement vehicles lined up as officers began to block the street, closing off the entire road to drivers.
Police were spotted slowly driving a pair of vehicles into the intersection, moving about 40 protesters out of the way. Authorities declared an unlawful assembly at 9:20pm, before lifting it about 20 minutes later.
Officers then proceed to hit some of the protesters with batons, the LA Times reports, as others responded by causing damage to nearby properties.
The crowd had mostly dispersed by 10:00pm but a number of protesters still remained, knocking over fences at City Hall and spray-painting slogans on the pavement. By 10:30pm the groups had largely dispersed, at which point officers put the fences back up.
The protest was one of many around California and the nation in response to the draft opinion that was leaked to Politico on Monday night, with more expected in the coming days.
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Topics: US News
Tom Sanders