L.A. calls restraining order on LAPD use of batons and projectiles ‘unwarranted’

Attorneys for Los Angeles on Tuesday argued against a temporary restraining order to block city police officers from using batons and tactical bullets to control crowds, saying the request was “unwarranted and overbroad” and that police “must be able to respond” to unlawful crowds. Gabriel Dermer, in response, said that was not the case, arguing that the LAPD has “facilitated numerous peaceful protests” without using such weapons since the incidents in question occurred and represents “no ongoing or actual threats of any kind” to protesters. At the same time, there were “criminal acts of arson and looting” around the protests that “threatened public safety and are, of course, not protected First Amendment activities,” Dermer wrote, and the LAPD “must be able to respond to such situations.” The LAPD is reviewing its officers’ response to the protests and their use of the weapons in question, Dermer wrote, but its policies surrounding those weapons should not be thrown aside in the meantime. Carol Sobel, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said the city’s response to their request for a restraining order relies on an assumption that crowds won’t gather again, even though the city has no control over that occurring and has seen large crowds gather time and again over many years.