Community leaders, law enforcement urging Angelenos demanding justice to protest peacefully
LOS ANGELES - Community leaders and law enforcement chiefs across Los Angeles County are urging residents who plan to protest in the wake of tensions in Minnesota to do it peacefully.
On Monday, Los Angeles police chief Michel Moore, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva, FBI Los Angeles' Kristi Johnson took the podium to call for nonviolence in SoCal, as the entire county has its eyes on the ongoing tensions in Minnesota.
While FBI has no plans to go after peaceful protesters, Johnson warned the public that arson, looting, vandalism and violence are not protected speech. Villanueva, who says LASD learned a lot of lessons from the 2020 George Floyd protests, plans to request the National Guard to be on standby in case of any unrest in Los Angeles in the coming days.
In Brooklyn Center, a Minneapolis suburb, protesters took to the police station to demand justice for 20-year-old Daunte Wright. Wright, a Black man, was fatally shot by Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter. In Minneapolis, a tense trial is underway for Derek Chauvin, the former police officer who was seen kneeling on George Floyd's neck.
TENSION IN MINNESOTA:
- Daunte Wright shooting: Officer grabbed gun instead of taser, bodycam video released
- Biden calls for ‘peace and calm’ in wake of Daunte Wright police shooting
- Derek Chauvin trial: George Floyd's brother gives 'spark of life' testimony
When Melugin asked Villanueva for his thoughts on the Daunte Wright shooting, the Los Angeles County Sheriff said it was hard to explain the officer's actions.
"If someone mistakes their gun for their taser, it’s a training issue," Villanueva said, in part. "But you can tell that’s a mistake of the mind, not of the heart. George Floyd was a mistake of the heart."
Stay with FOX 11 as reporter Bill Melugin will provide a full report on-air at 10 p.m. PT.
Get your top stories delivered daily! Sign up for FOX 11’s Fast 5 newsletter. And, get breaking news alerts in the FOX 11 News app. Download for iOS or Android.