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LA Police Commission President 'In Favor' Of Defacing, Removing Trump Walk Of Fame Star

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The president of the Los Angeles Police Commission says he doesn't have a problem with vandals defacing President Donald Trump's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Entertainment attorney Matt Johnson made the comment to a TMZ film crew Monday night outside Craig's in West Hollywood, where he was asked his thoughts on the repeated defacing of Trump's star, which most recently had a gold-plated toilet placed next to it.

"I'm in favor of it," Johnson is heard saying and laughing as he heads towards the valet.

When asked whether the star located on Hollywood Boulevard between Highland and Orange should just be removed altogether, Johnson said, "I'm definitely in favor of getting rid of the star".

Defacing any Walk of Fame star can lead to criminal charges.

James Lambert Otis, 53, of Los Angeles, was sentenced to 20 days of Caltrans work and three years probation in February after he plead no contest to a felony vandalism charge for using a sledgehammer and pick axe to remove Trump's name from the star.

Trump received the star in 2007 for his role in producing the Miss Universe pageant, but since his campaign and subsequent election to the White House, the star has been vandalized several times, including one effort that put up a tiny border wall around the star.

Since joining the Police Commission as a volunteer in Sept. 2015, Johnson - the only African-American member of the board - has frequently served as the target of protests from Black Lives Matter and other groups who have voiced their concerns over the department's use-of-force policy.

"It's an overall frustration with the department and frustration with what's going on throughout the whole country," Johnson told KCAL9's Dave Lopez. "I'm doing my best not to take it personally."

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