“Quis custodiet ipsos custodies?”
Who will watch the watchers?
Juvenal
This week media outlets will focus on Anaheim, with articles reflecting on our community one year after the nightmare of last July that left young men dead and an entire city wounded. Much of the discussion will center around Sunday’s protest, initially organized by a handful of grieving mothers who permitted Los Angeles based ANSWERLA to 
handle media, a decision that, in retrospect, many believe to have been a mistake. But Anaheim’s problems go far beyond yesterday, or even July 2012, and it is going to take more than a bunch of angry activists from out of town sporting Guy Fawkes masks and demanding change, to actually get Anaheim the changes it needs.
I am glad it all ended well, and everyone stayed safe. That this should even have been in question for an event promoted as “peaceful” indicates the confusion Anaheim is in today.
When my husband and I checked City Hall after the event, (armed with trash bags we barely had to use) we found the crowd had cleaned up after themselves. Other than a few damaged protest signs leaning against already full garbage cans, the scattered cigarette butts, a few Starbucks cups, and chalk graffiti seemed to be the only evidence that an event had taken place. I have no idea how the route for the march was left, (by then it was too dark to check) but I hope they were respectful there are well. About 20 Colony residents turned out Sunday morning to clean up ahead of the march, hauling out a number of trash bags with an amusing variety of rubbish (I understand there was a contest for the oddest item found, the winner being the penis-shaped pencil topper cleared from a gutter.) 
The gentlemen who organized the early morning chores are the same ones who started a spontaneous cleanup the morning after last year’s festival of broken glass, showing once again that Anaheim is home to awesome people who defy the labels we get from the news organizations who communicate in sound bites and stereotypes.
Anaheim sent the message that we respect our own downtown and it looks like in large part the protesters did the same. Only one arrest was reported, for a punk with a marker and an artistic flare aimed at a wall at APD, so the big bus on stand-by at the staging area ready to haul off crowds of law breakers with zip-tied wrists was not needed after all.
ANSWERLA ginned up a great deal of unnecessary fear in our community by putting out flyers with very aggressive graphics, that led many to believe the event was intended to provoke confrontation. For a neighborhood still reeling from the effects of last year’s rioting, it has not been fun to live here, and we have all been bracing ourselves in “celebration” of the Anniversary, so tensions were already high before these morons put out those flyers! Thankfully cooler heads prevailed this year, contrasted with Deputy Chief Hunter’s militarized overreaction last July that cost taxpayers plenty and escalated fears and hostility far beyond anything necessary.
What some called “unrest” last July, locals called “watching a news helicopter show a TV screen full of miscreants being “dispersed” by Police by shoving the molotov cocktail-wielding thugs down our street toward wooden homes that have been drying out in the California sunshine for 100 years.” So forgive us for trying to find the perfect balance of prepared and reasonable.
Sadly, we have people manufacturing heated response on both sides, and while ANSWERLA needlessly inflamed our worst fears for the sake of sensationalism, there are some that are all too quick to jump on any excuse to magnify the hostility and paint anyone who dares to question the police as anti-cop gang lovers. Some gleefully took advantage of the lack of official notice to add their own versions of what was headed our way. Someday the City Manager’s office needs to get a clue and realize the absence of real information WILL be back-filled with rumor and gossip!
That, more than anything, makes me angry about this event. We have two sides who are so busy selling their own political and social agendas, even to the point of creating their own version of truth if need be, that the very real discussion regarding Anaheim’s very real problems is being lost in the mudslinging. How are we supposed to find solutions if we cannot hear each other speak over the insults and lies being hurled back and forth?
The PD empty … much ado about nothing.
This event cost Anaheim taxpayers a fortune, money that will not be recouped because unlike other organizations who maintain credibility by pulling permits and paying for services, these morons claimed they didn’t need a permit, and then stepped off the curb anyway. On the other hand, the City of Anaheim let them. While I absolutely favor the rights of any citizens group to peacefully assemble, whether I agree with them or not, the right to march without a parade permit to cover the costs of Police escort and traffic control is not guaranteed. One report claims 320 Police personnel on duty, at taxpayer expense.
Ultimately the most disruptive thing about the entire event for those of us living nearby was the fear (manufactured by both sides for different reasons) leading up to the 
protest, and the sound of Angel hovering overhead for HOURS, a sound that for many of us is an audible trigger for PTSD, as the sound of the helicopter sends many into panic attacks. 5 hours of anxiety inducing chopper blades is hard to take, even harder when we know we are paying for it! How much of that would have been deployed if ANSWER LA acted like grownups in the first place and gave the PD a plan they could count on, while taking financial responsibility for the event? Lots of folks dragged the name of Disney through the mud Sunday, and while I understand the hostility aimed at an industry that sucks back up the revenues they brag about generating, at least Disney pays for their street closures and Police presence for events that come “off property” like the half-marathon. ANSWERLA could not be bothered to man up to that point at all, leaving taxpayers to foot the bill for their foolishness.
Hunter. Not missed.
How about in the future we do NOT invite ANSWER LA to participate in Anaheim, and we gather together to work as hard at battling the gangs who picked this fight in the first place? While Deputy Chief Hunter is gone, his brutal vision for the us vs. them mentality of his gang unit remains, and I think the best way to put these guys on the unemployment line is not to demonize all cops, most of whom are GOOD people trying to do a nearly impossible job. The best way to put the Gang Unit out of work is for us to band together against the gangs in the first place, and that is the conversation neither side seems to be having.
Why do groups like Answer LA not care about footing the bill?
Because this is all kind of like a war or actually much more like pretend war.
The thing is, that none of the protesters made any money by stepping of the streets and leaving Starbucks cups in the gutter.
The police officers did make money.
Some probably got over time.
300 police could have been paid or 30 or 3,000 police. It’s so arbitrary.
They get to sport around in helicopters that might have been paid for by the Federal Government Community Block grants, such as with other OC cities. (Money that is supposed to go to community development, not public safety.)
Are you sure that the City of Anaheim pays for this riot protection?
Are you sure that it is not Homeland Security?
The Anaheim PD has a vested interest in having a group such as Answer LA come down. Those same photos that you are showing in your blog are the similar photos that they will get to use when they apply for their Federal UASI grants.
Big Money.
Anaheim-Santa Ana PD Orange County joint recipient of Federal UASI grants.
In other words, Public Safety is big business.
The frustrations and angst that the protesters have come mostly from their alienation from the spoils of capitalism that the others get to bask in.
It is a mix of resentment and righteous indignation.
They also know that the police typically care more about their paycheck than they do about social justice.
This is not to say that the protesters are always on the side of justice.
From the secular Wikipedia.
“In some Christian doctrines,righteous indignation is considered the only form of anger which is not sinful. e.g. When Jesus drove the money lenders out of the temple.”
You see, God is more on the side of the protesters than he/she/it is on the the side of the Police and Politicians.
Thanks for starting the conversation finding a balance between addressing and expressing legitimate grievances. The Anaheim’s riot and commemoration are the result of multiple factors, what could be summarized by the marginalization of significant sections of our community. The pattern of killing young Latinos by the APD was the exploding point. Let’s remember that the majority of people detained during the riots were not outsiders, but Anaheim residents. As one of the largest and well known city in California, our problems brought the type of attention we are receiving. Grieving mothers whose children have been killed by the Police are all over the State, if Anaheim is one of the places for them to get together and share their grief and hopes, they are welcome.
As we are trying to address the causes of the marginalization and grievances, the way how we express our grievances must respect the concerns of all the neighbors. Our neighbors around the downtown area should not be scared by the demonstrators, their neighborhoods do need to be respected. Whoever organized this demonstration cannot dismiss these concerns. The taxpayer cost of these events is significant, and they must be minimized. However, the expenses of a democratic society is worth it. It is better to spend some money in covering free speech and assembly costs, and a more inclusive society, rather than grieving for our sons and daughters.
Gangs and crime is something nobody likes. The ex -cops candidates got 30% of the vote, mostly running on this issue. This is a complex and legitimate concern, and there are some initiatives already being pursued by several organizations. We should partner with the APD at the same time as the political and social remedies causing marginalization and crimes are addressed.
And yet double eye is right: in effect, becoming “ungovernable” and imposing costs on the city (probably reimbursed by the federal government) is a part of a “war of attrition” — increasing the costs of such policies and thus boosting the motive to reform. Overreaction by the city (or the “state” generally) is expensive. (This year was at least better than last.) Provoking expensive overreaction by a government actor that cares about its reputation is one of the last remaining tools of the (relatively dispossessed.)
Before we sneer at that, we should recall that this was the major tactic used by our patriots during the Revolutionary War. Washington famously never won what was considered to be an actual battle against the British, but his forces managed to make the colonies ungovernable. And so the British reformed.
Thanks Greg. Stay cool Brother.
You too Cynthia, Stay cool Sister.
You also Ricardo.
Solidarity Clap!
“The expenses of a Democratic Society is worth it”
That is correct.
Even the New World Order, CIA and Homeland Security know that.
That’s why they pump Fiat money into the economy as well as into national defense and municipal security.
They prefer illusions of Democracy here in the U.S. and chaos in places such as Egypt.
It will be interesting to see what unfolds there in the next couple of weeks.
http://cops.usdoj.gov/html/dispatch/06-2013/preparing_officers_for_a_community_oriented_department.asp
This is a newsletter written for law enforcement professionals, put out by the DOJ, not exactly Occupy leftist propaganda, and even they are calling into question the militarized police academies, that create the mentality of a standing army in occupied enemy territory.
This is hard, I am NOT anti-cop, despite having issues with retired Hunter and a very small group of his minions I do like, respect, and trust most cops. I want the gangs GONE I can find no positive purpose for the existence of gangs (which is also not the same as saying that of the individuals who make up the gangs as every life has meaning and even the worst criminal is known to God, and potentially redeemable) but I also think we are using nuclear warheads where a rat trap might suffice, and the overkill (literally) makes enemies where the Police need friends. Nobody is winning in this sick game, except for the arms dealers who are now reportedly making more from local PDs using DHS grants than from the actual military.
I’m not “anti-cop” either. I’m anti-bad-cop and I’m anti-good-cop-following-code-of-silence-regarding-activities-of-bad-cop.
Rather than being “anti-gang,” it makes sense to be “anti-crime.” (I also think that some crimes, like selling marijuana, just aren’t worth being anti. Enforcing that law creates more problems than it solves.) I’m definitely opposed to drive-by shootings, to burglaries, to extortion — and to whatever other illegal violence that gangs pursue. However, things like associating with “known gang members” — when the definition of “known gang member” is at best squishy — should not themselves count. Neither should having tattoos or flashing signs — not unless this is shown to be in actual furtherance of a criminal activity.
My understanding is that Joel Acevedo, who did not consider himself to be part of a criminal gang, went to jail a few times for the crime breaking parole by associating with longtime friends — without doing anything illegal on its own. This is just not what I mean when I talk about “criminal activity.”
Saying that we need to get rid of “gangs” — when actual gang membership is often dubious and refraining from association with other alleged gang members is pretty much logistically impossible — is essentially saying that we have to get rid of young Latino men. (No, not all Latino men are in gangs — but most can easy be suspected of it, dragged into the criminal justice system, and subjected to the anti-gang injunction.) Our concern is not gangs, it is violence. Go after violence, rather than (in effect) any Latino youth that the overinclusive police want to identify as legitimate targets, and you’ll find lots of support.
Cynthia, it sounds like the march was good and it got good publicity. I suggest you be the one to organize town meetings, since you are already involved. Protests, vigils, civil disobedience are all good ways to draw attention to a problem, they are not meant to fix them. ANSWERLA did a good job, even if there was trash laying around. People will litter at any event because they just do. At least there was no violence, no trashing of businesses, like past unorganized protests. ANSWERLA is organized and they take responsibility and warn others if they do not follow protocol they will get booted out. You cannot control who will wear masks. Its a free country. Cynthia, you have the power to get people organized as well and I suggest you contact community leaders, concerned parents, churches, etc. not politicians to get that going. It’s your community, take it back from the ones causing trouble for everyone.
And the police love to spend money on the new toys our government has given them. Cops get overtime, and law enforcement get more money next year for spending the dollars they were given this year. Its always about the money.
For those of you that have Russian Television (RT) on Dish/Cable
They just had a fantastic Segment on a new book by Radley Balko
“Rise of the Warrior Cop”
It is all about the arms industry that exists because of the relationships between DHS the local police depts, and DC lobbyists.
He states in the interview that most of these municipal SWAT teams are no longer being used for their original intended purpose, which originally was to meet Violence for Violence in criminal stand off situations with robberies, kidnappings and terrorist actions. Unfortunately, they armed militarized police teams are being used primarily for serving warrants for arrest in Drug Dealing cases or as we have all witnessed. riot/crowd control. Nearly all Federal agencies such as NASA, Fish and Wildlife, and Dept. of Education are being sold militarized police equipment for warrant delivery search and seizure operations etc.
It’s all about the money.
Huffington Post book review from a veteran law enforcement officer.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/diane-goldstein/radley-balko-rise-of-the-warrior-cop_b_3564438.html
Wow.
Cynthia, you could give Bill Clinton lessons in triangulation.
Matthew, Cynthia is just fulfilling one corner of the OC Illuminati Activism Triangle.
Don’t Fret.
Disney still sits at the Apex.
I am reading the Radko book, it is chilling in its documentation of just what we are seeing in Anaheim.
Good afternoon Matt, good of you to join us. For those who missed it, Matt also managed a recap of the events, but of course his viewpoint was based on seeing violence because he was looking for it, because that is what he is paid to do.
“Since then, I’ve been intermittently harassed by masked radicals who are convinced that I am either a policeman or a fed.”
Actually Matt, I think they are just really good at spotting elitist, closed-minded, bigot windbags when they seem them.
You have a nice day.
Cynthia: unlike you, I was actually at the march, so I can speak with considerably more authority than you can as to what happened at it.
Here’s a video clip I took:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/96898496@N08/9344828771/in/set-72157634747313111
The shaking at the end is when one of those peaceful protesters came up behind me, took my iPhone, started screaming at me and tried to get me to fight him to get it back. Fortunately some of the other protesters were smart enough to realize to committing theft and assault in front of a police station probably wasn’t smartest thing to do, and got my phone back.
Back to your post: you do make a strenuous effort to create the false impression that ANSWERLA.org hijacked the protest and that Huizar and Acevedo had little to do with it.
And I enjoyed how you triangulate yourself above and condemn the “mudslinging” and two sides pushing agendas, when you have been in the thick of the mud-slinging and agenda-pushing yourself.
As for the city’s public information effort: the police department conducted outreach along the march route to provide information about the march and what could be expected. It was a deliberate effort to avoid needlessly alarming people about the protest. Since you are — today, at least — assuming the role of The Voice of Sober Rectitude, I would think you’d be complimenting rather than condemning the city.
You apparently worked awfully hard in that clip to try to provoke someone to react to you inappropriately, Matt, so congratulations on ultimately making it happen!
As for this:
what’s your basis for calling that impression “false”? What interviews, for example, did you do with them? Were they performed with the same sort of professionalism as the interview you videoed here?
(And to the various people who have told me that Matt Cunningham’s voice sounds like mine — OK, I can hear the resemblance. Yeesh.)
“You apparently worked awfully hard in that clip to try to provoke someone to react to you inappropriately, Matt, so congratulations on ultimately making it happen!”
Were you there, Greg? No, you weren’t. Did you see what was happening before or after the clip? No, you didn’t. If you had been, you would realize what an moronic thing it is for you to claim I somehow provoked some thug I had never seen or encountered until that moment.
I continue to be amazed at how undaunted you are by your own ignorance.
I was there at the rally; I saw the nature of the crowd. I understand from the clip that someone chalked a wall and you went after them aggressively. You provoked people to give you an embarrassing reaction — that’s why you were videoing them, dullard — although not necessary this particular embarrassing reaction, which was obviously unjustified even if obviously not unforeseeable. If you can’t see that you were being pugnacious and provocative as an interviewer, please consult your nearest single-celled organism for advice on boosting your self-awareness.
Pleasure doing business with you as always, rent-blogger.
“I understand from the clip that someone chalked a wall and you went after them aggressively.”
Isn’t there something in the legal profession about stating “facts not in evidence”?
Be honest, Greg: the only reason your are trying (unbelievably) to blame me for that guy swiping my iphone is because it happened to me, You’re being petty.
I recall seeing you standing on the median taking some pictures while the marchers were on their way to the PD, but I never saw you around after that. I covered the protest far more thoroughly than you.
Some more free advice, Greg: you are not nearly as politically smart and savvy as you imagine yourself to be. Own that reality, and you’ll be better for it.
No, I blame the guy who (you allege) took your phone. (Speaking of facts not in evidence. For all I know, he accidentally bumped you — or you deliberately made it look like someone took it. But I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt.) I’m simply pointing out that you clearly were hoping to provoke an embarrassing response on camera — just, presumably, not a criminal one.
At the start of the video, didn’t you ask the woman if she had just done that? I suppose that you could have been lying, but I was giving you the benefit of the doubt.
I got there before the march, at 2:15 or so, and left at close to 4:00.
No offense, Matt, but I wouldn’t trust you to tell me how many nostrils I have.
Matt makes a living provoking other people, it is the only way to generate blog traffic, God knows we don’t go there for facts or an accurate retelling, only to defend ourselves from the character assassination that has become the hallmark of guys like Matt. This saddens me, I recall a time when Matt worked to at least try to present a more balanced approach. Gotta pay the bills, right? In any event, it shouldn’t matter how confrontational Matt gets, nobody has the right to take from others, even the video cam from an obnoxious jerk. On the other hand, when does common sense kick in? Like Matt I had also expressed my concerns about the kind of people who would be drawn to the event based on the flyer that seemed intended to provoke confrontation, which is why I stayed away. When one wades knee deep into that crowd and then appears to be deliberately provocative, do not be surprised when it doesn’t end well. No that is not license to have touched Matt’s property, but I have no sympathy (or icepack) for those who go through life yelling HIT ME and then get popped in the eye.
Asking Matt if he was a cop was a good response. Singing “Officer Krupke” to him would have been better.
I was so concerned about my safety that I brought my Dachshund Benjamin to this affair last Sunday.
What I have learned from watching this event and the events from last year:
If you keep the police at least half a block away at all times
And the police are not dressed in full military combat gear
And the army of civilian criminals willing to committ crimes for the police are kept home
All peace breaks out.
Well I would have appreciated more outreach like an Anaheim Alert, etc. Because the lack of information led to speculation and speculation among already stressed out panicked people is not pretty. Matt since when did you become the official mouthpiece for Anaheim’s establishment? Oh yeah. the Chamber contract, got it…..
No, Cynthia. While you raged about what you THOUGHT was a lack of city information outreach, I decided to find out what the city did (if anything) in that regard.
Don’t you find it a bit disingenuous for you to complain about what you speculated was a failure by the city to inform the public without making any effort to find out if you were correct (especially given the energy you put into filing very detailed PRA requests with the city)?
Matt, what are you claiming was the outreach?
A video of the demonstration, and others local demonstrations, was produced by our friends at the Weekly. Good job Josue!
http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/2013/08/video_statewide_march_against.php