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LAPD Chief Decries Police Commission Disruption Citing First Amendment Limits

He says agitators chilled public participation as a reporter was blocked from filming.

Overview

  • Roughly 40 activists disrupted this week's Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners meeting, prompting commissioners to be escorted out and the session to be halted.
  • LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell called the conduct "vile" and said legal guidance indicates police cannot remove disruptors because of First Amendment protections.
  • McDonnell warned the behavior deters residents from speaking at oversight forums and said the department sought clarification from the City Attorney's Office.
  • California Post reporter Jamie Paige reported being boxed in and having cameras obstructed, later leaving for safety, followed by an editorial vowing not to be intimidated.
  • City Council Public Safety Chair John Lee described a broader pattern of disruptions at city meetings, while reporting linked tensions to debates over limits on less‑lethal crowd‑control tools with no formal policy changes announced.