City council approves law banning protesters from carrying certain items
Los Angeles City Council voted Tuesday to ban pepper spray, baseball bats, knives, open flame torches and other items at public demonstrations. (Ken Shin/Daily Bruin staff)
By Jacob Preal
Oct. 31, 2017 4:08 p.m.
The Los Angeles City Council voted Tuesday to ban protesters from carrying pepper spray, tasers and improvised shields.
City council approved a law 13-1 to prohibit a list of items specified by the Los Angeles Police Department. The city banned items that could be used as blunt weapons, including bricks, stones, crowbars, hammers and metal signs.
The new law will also prohibit baseball bats, knives, glass bottles and open flame torches from public demonstrations, according to the city ordinance.
The council passed the new law as an urgency ordinance, which means it will take effect in the next few days, city officials said.
Refuse Fascism, a political group calling for the removal of President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence from office, is holding protests Saturday against Trump’s administration in various cities, including Los Angeles.
Councilmember Mitch Englander originally pitched the idea to the city council in October because public demonstrations across the country, including those in Charlottesville, Virginia, and Berkeley, have recently turned violent, according to the Los Angeles Times. Englander added he thinks the law would protect police and protesters without infringing on their free speech.
