The Different Drummer

Peaceful Protest, Violent Response: LAPD’s Legacy Continues

Los Angeles’ largest street gang, the LAPD, violently attacks citizens after thousands spent the day peacefully protesting Trump’s policies.

“Everyone has the right to peacefully protest, but let me be clear: violence and destruction are unacceptable, and those responsible will be held accountable.”

– LA Mayor Karen Bass

A few months into our first year of high school, my friends and I made our way from suburban New York to our first solo trip to The City. We departed our bus at the Port Authority Bus Station and walked the few blocks to Madison Square Garden, our tickets to see the band Rush in hand.

Before entering we took the time to take in the busy atmosphere in the plaza in front of the famed arena. Mixed in with commuters rushing to catch their trains at Penn Station, which is located beneath The Garden, concertgoers traded with street vendors selling counterfeit T-shirts, ticket scalpers tried to unload unsold inventory, and political activists tried to recruit new adherents using Neil…