Protest Rally today against Anaheim Police Brutality, Noon to 2, 425 South Harbor!

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Police officer points gun at woman
Weekly protests have been taking place on Sundays from 12-2 at the Anaheim Police Station at 425 S. Harbor Blvd. It’s a fair bet that today’s protest, in the wake of police firing rubber bullets or beanbags into a crowd of predominantly women and children and also releasing a police dog to bite some in the crowd, will be bigger than usual.

A public invitation to the event, updated in light of yesterday’s events, was issued on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/events/344828062262298/. The name of the page is “ANAHEIM PD IS CORRUPT — WE WILL NOT BE SILENT,” and is being promoted by Renee Seekntruth Balenti, Sonia C. Hernandez and 2 others. I don’t know if the Anaheim PD is corrupt, and I don’t think that I need to sign on to such a statement in order to attend this rally. I do know, however, that something very wrong happened last night and I’m not going to quibble about who I stand next to while demanding answers and reform.

The text of the invitation:

every Sunday we gather at the Anaheim police Department 12 noon -2pm , to bring awareness to the community in Anaheim and the surrounding cities of Orange County. Anaheim Police Department has gotten away with their lies, brutality, excessive force, racial profiling, misconduct and MURDER for far too long..Their corruption and blatant disregard for our HUMAN/civil rights will NO LONGER BE TOLERATED!! join us .. stand up and let them here your voice… we want JUSTICE_CHANGE_ACCOUNTABILITY_AND TRANSPARENCY. recently the city manager of Anaheim has vocalized his intent to authorize a investigation into the excessive officer involved shootings.. This is a step in the right direction! We will remind the city manager every city council meeting about his solution..expecting the entire process be made fully public ! a press release and media coverage would be good! The (PEOPLE) deserve to know whats been going on their city!!The tourists deserve to know that Anaheim isnt as safe as they assume when they bring their entire families on vacation at the (happiest place on earth) Disneyland…

The image I’m using in the title comes from this CBS/KCAL9 news report, which you should watch if you haven’t yet seen it:

Apart from the violence, one thing really caught my attention. Officers apparently tried to purchase cell phone video that was taken at the scene. I can think of no reason why this should be justified; it appears to be a simple, flat-out attempt to suppress evidence of police misconduct. The police officers involved should be identified, investigated, and (if their attempted actions are confirmed) fired. If it is Department policy to purchase and suppress video of police misconduct, then the APD needs a thorough housecleaning.

P.S. Tell me again how a City Council overwhelmingly from affluent Anaheim Hills adequately represents all areas of the city. I don’t think that this sort of thing is happening to the residents of Anaheim Hills.


About Greg Diamond

Somewhat verbose attorney, semi-disabled and semi-retired, residing in northwest Brea. Occasionally ran for office against jerks who otherwise would have gonr unopposed. Got 45% of the vote against Bob Huff for State Senate in 2012; Josh Newman then won the seat in 2016. In 2014 became the first attorney to challenge OCDA Tony Rackauckas since 2002; Todd Spitzer then won that seat in 2018. Every time he's run against some rotten incumbent, the *next* person to challenge them wins! He's OK with that. Corrupt party hacks hate him. He's OK with that too. He does advise some local campaigns informally and (so far) without compensation. (If that last bit changes, he will declare the interest.) His daughter is a professional campaign treasurer. He doesn't usually know whom she and her firm represent. Whether they do so never influences his endorsements or coverage. (He does have his own strong opinions.) But when he does check campaign finance forms, he is often happily surprised to learn that good candidates he respects often DO hire her firm. (Maybe bad ones are scared off by his relationship with her, but they needn't be.)