Piggish behavior at the DNC

The City of Angels was infested with devils this August at the Democratic National Convention.

These devils came in the form of police officers, whose testosterone-fueled behavior at the convention was inexcusable.

Working as a reporter, I made my way to the protesting area, parking for $15 in an unsecure lot and walking through some seedy areas downtown.  I have never seen so many policemen in my life. Since I live in the ghetto of Long Beach, that may seem surprising, but it's true.

I was there  to cover the protestors.  Throngs of people, young and old, protested everything from the jailing of Mumia Abu-Jamal to the legalization of marijuana.

There were even men protesting breast feeding, because it creates the males need for oral fixation.  As I stood innocently on the corner taking in the action, police in their riot gear stood like watchdogs, screaming at passersby for no apparent reason.

A picture of i rony was painted as murals of civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Cesar Chavez overlooked the crowd of protestors and police.

"This is unlawful assembly, move to the protestor's area," oinked a voice over a megaphone.

When the protestors started to move, the police apparently didn't think they moved fast enough.  Before I knew it, the crowd began to back up and I was pinned against a wrought iron fence with nowhere to go.  Rubber bullets flew through the air and I feared for my life.

Scenes from the recent Pearl Jam concert where fans were trampled to death flew through my paranoid mind.

Police officers continued threatening the crowd as the protestors tried to disperse, I was unable to break their human barricades they had on every single street. I was yelled at and told to go another way, even though I was just a journalist trying to get a story.

The police randomly barked orders and whistled cat calls, but I could not get by. I do not think a badge should give a person that much clout. They were supposed to be protecting citizens and maintaining peace, not wreaking havoc on the crowd.

Our taxpayers dollars pay for these people to protect us and yet sometimes they abuse their power and injure innocent people. I finally got through the barricades and walked the 10 blocks back to my car. I left disgusted with the police's behavior. I do not think they served or protected me that particular day.

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