Police Disperse Anti-Trump Protest In Pershing Square, 3 Arrested
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Three protesters were arrested in downtown Los Angeles' Pershing Square Wednesday evening after an unlawful assembly was declared during a protest against President Donald Trump.
The protest, which was organized by the group Refuse Fascism, was one of several held nationwide against Trump's response to the election results.
"(Trump) claims victory demanding that the counting be stopped immediately -- with millions of ballots yet to be counted, overwhelmingly from the urban cores where Black and Latino voters are concentrated," Refuse Fascism said in a news release Wednesday.
The protest began at around 3:30 p.m. Police called the crowd "large and unruly," and at around 7:30 p.m., an unlawful assembly was declared at Fifth and Hill streets and Los Angeles police officers surrounded the protesters.
"You have five minutes to disperse," one LAPD officer was heard telling the protesters over a megaphone.
A majority of the crowd left by 8 p.m., but a handful of protesters remained on Hill Street, between Fourth and Fifth streets. Officers cleared the scene by 9 p.m., police said. Police arrested three people, two for failure to disperse and one for assault on an officer. There were no injuries.
Another Refuse Fascism protest was scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. Thursday in Pershing Square.
LAPD is in tactical alert all week due to the tension surrounding the election.
Meanwhile, a separate protest also took place against Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey downtown Wednesday afternoon. Dozens of people attended a "Jackie Lacey Will Go" celebration organized by Black Lives Matter in front of the Hall of Justice.
Lacey, who is fighting to keep her seat for a third term, is in a race against former San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon. He held a 53.77%-46.23% lead over Lacey, according to results released Wednesday by the L.A. County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk's office.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
