While most of the rallies held around the country in defense of immigrant rights were peaceful, the march in Los Angeles ended with police firing rubber bullets and using their batons against protesters.

Several people, including about a dozen officers, were hurt during skirmishes at MacArthur Park near downtown late Tuesday. About 10 people were taken to hospitals for treatment of injuries including cuts, authorities said. None of the injuries was believed to be serious.The clash at MacArthur Park started after 6 p.m. when police tried to disperse demonstrators who had moved off the sidewalk onto the street. Authorities said several people of the few thousand still at the rally threw rocks and bottles at officers, who fired rubber bullets and used batons to push the crowd back onto the sidewalk.
“(Police) started moving in and forcing them out of the park, people with children, strollers,” said Angela Sambrano, one of the rally’s organizers.

In typical police fashion (I swear they must have a secret handbook), the disturbances were attributed to a few select people who have been labeled anarchists by some. LAPD Chief William Bratton said an investigation would be conducted to determine if the force used by the department was appropriate. It should be noted that Bratton was Chief of the NYPD under Mayor Giuliani’s reign and under Bratton’s watch the number of police brutality incidents, including killings, against Latinos rose significantly. So I would tell L.A. residents not to hold their breath.

L.A.’s Latino mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa, was out of town yesterday but lamented what happened and said he would push for a full investigation.

Those who went to rallies yesterday, tell us how the police response was to actions in your area.

Via / Yahoo! News

Image Via / SABC News