WATCH: Anaheim Police Set Up Riot Line Against Anti-Racism Protesters
- Apr 4, 2016
- 2 min read
Anger over the Ku Klux Klan Pearson Park melee last month is still simmering in Anaheim. On Saturday, dozens of anti-racist protesters held a "No Room for Racism" march. Unlike the peace march held a few days after the bloody brawl between antifas and Klan members, the youth did not give a free pass to police in the matter while they rallied against KKK hatred.
What's really interesting is to note the police response to the march. As protesters made their way down towards Anaheim Boulevard from a residential neighborhood, cops clad in in riot helmets held big clubs and cut off street access. The demonstrators filed through an open garage parking lot. More uniformed police walked in formation to seal off Anaheim Boulevard, but positioned themselves on the sidewalk, a protected space for freedom of assembly. A brief skirmish ensued before police halted traffic and backed up onto Anaheim Blvd., opening up the sidewalk again for protesters to continue their march.
Thanks to the footage of longtime activist Naui Huitzilopochtli, a question comes to mind. Imagine if within the short window of time before things turned ugly at Pearson Park back on February 27, uniformed police walked in formation to seal off Cypress Street creating a buffer between the two sidewalks, antifas and Klan members. How much different might things have been?
One thing is certain. The Anaheim police had a much more visible presence for the "No Room for Racism" march than they did for the "White Lives Do Matter" Klan rally. But that's not the only political truth to emerge this weekend. With a bankrupt liberal class in Anaheim, the mantle of militancy belongs to the city's punks.
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