LAPD arrests activist after clash with pro-police protester: ‘They’re arresting me because I’m black’
Police in Los Angeles on Sunday arrested a man who was part of a "Black Lives Matter" demonstration that had been organized across the street from a pro-police rally.
According to KCAL, the "Black Lives Matter" protest had been held in response to an "All Lives Matter" demonstration supporting the LAPD.
LAPD officers arrested one of the men demonstrating with the "Black Lives Matter" protesters after a confrontation occurred when a police supporter came across the street to block his sign.
“I think it’s racism. They came over here to target black people," the man told KCAL’s Greg Mills as officers were placing him in handcuffs. "They’re arresting me because I’m black."
The KCAL reporter replied that the man was being arrested "because you pushed her."
“I didn’t push her," the protester insisted. "She pushed me.”
The woman, however, said that she pressed charges against the "Black Lives Matter" protester because he assaulted her.
“I was blocking his sign, just putting my arms out, and the gentleman elbowed me across the chest," she told KCAL.
LAPD Motor Officer Terry Turner explained to KCAL that dealing with protesters was an unpleasant part of the job.
“And we have to stand there and listen to that rhetoric across the street, not that they don’t have a right to protest," Turner remarked. "But we’re just here to let people know that our lives matter, too, and we need the support.”
Watch the video below from KCAL, broadcast Dec. 29, 2014.