The security forces exceeded their actions and there was deliberate brutality against protesters and journalists in the demonstrations in opposition to immigration policies by Donald Trump in June in Los Angeles, according to a report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) published on Monday.
Dozens of people were injured by rubber bullets, stunned grenades and pepper gas thrown by the police at a short distance during the mostly peaceful demonstrations in response to the dramatic increase in arrests against immigrants in southern California.
“Members of the forces of the order used a brutal, excessive and unnecessary force against people who raised the voice for human rights and those who registered protests,” said Ida Sawyer, director of crisis, conflict and weapons of HRW.
The protests exploded on June 6 for anger following the rates of the Immigration and Customs Control Service (ICE), who received the order from the Trump administration to focus on undocumented immigrants in this immense city, with a population mostly Latin.
The demonstrations concentrated on a small section of the center of Los Angeles And they were mostly peaceful, although at some times they got out of control and led to chaotic scenes that led Trump to send 4,000 members of the National guard and 700 Marines to the city, a decision questioned harshly by local authorities.
For the report, the Human Rights Watch team observed the protests, visited the places where the raids were held in mid -June and interviewed dozens of people.
The report documented 65 cases in which police officers wounded protesters and journalists, but warned that “the real number is likely to be much higher.”
In one case, a police officer shot three people “at a very short distance with kinetic impact projectiles, causing them intense pain for several days.”
“Before shooting one of them in the groin, the agent said: ‘I’m going to burst you because you’re distracting me,’ I said the report.
Wounded with broken bones, bruises, an amputee finger and serious eye injuries were also reported.
An AFP photographer was shot in the face with a rubber bullet from an officer while covering a protest in downtown Los Angeles on June 14. At least three more journalists were also injured.
The United States Constitution guarantees the right to freedom of expression and peaceful protest, and protects citizens from excessive use of force by law agents. California has laws that restrict the use of “less lethal weapons” during protests and protects press rights.
