LOS ANGELES – People who are unhoused in Echo Park and those who support them were subjected to use of force by the Los Angeles Police Department and city officials who direct it. The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California roundly condemns the City of Los Angeles’s ill-conceived, militarized confrontation to clear unhoused individuals from the park and the mass arrests of protestors, legal observers, and journalists who were on the scene to hold the city accountable and chronicle its actions.
Please attribute the following statement to Hector Villagra, executive director of the ACLU of Southern California:
“Taking militarized police action to displace people who are already displaced is cruel and does nothing to bolster public safety. Mass arrests of protesters, legal observers, and journalists will not keep the city’s brutal, ill-conceived actions from being known. The city leaders who approved this approach should be held accountable.
“In this time of crises in both the economy and public health, the city should seek solutions in developing permanent, affordable housing and appropriate services for people who are unhoused.”
