Occupy LA Raid: Los Angeles Police Reportedly Went Undercover At Encampment Prior To Raid To Gather Information [LATEST UPDATES]

The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Los Angeles police used nearly a dozen undercover detectives to infiltrate the Occupy LA encampment before this week's raid to gather information on protesters' intentions, according to media reports Friday.

None of the officers slept at the camp, but tried to blend in during the weeks leading up to the raid to learn about plans to resist or use weapons against police, a police source told the Los Angeles Times. The source spoke on the condition of anonymity because the case is ongoing.

The undercover work yielded information that some protesters were preparing bamboo spears and other potentially dangerous weapons in advance of an expected eviction by the LAPD, none of which were used, according to City News Service which first reported the story.

Police downplayed the significance of the undercover work since Occupy meetings were public and easily tracked.

LAPD Officer Cleon Joseph declined an Associated Press request for comment on the reports.

Occupy L.A. protester Mario Brito told City News Service he was not surprised by the revelation, but said it was "tantamount to 1950s McCarthyism."

Meanwhile, the city attorney's office filed criminal misdemeanor charges Friday against 27 more of the people who were arrested following the police sweep of the camp.

In all, 46 of the 291 people arrested during the raid have been charged with misdemeanor crimes of failure to disperse from an unlawful assembly. Some also were charged with resisting arrest.

The arrests came Wednesday during a pre-dawn raid on City Hall Park, where nearly 500 tents had been erected at the peak of an anti-Wall Street protest, City Attorney Carmen Trutanich said.

Fifty-eight posted bail or were released by police, Criminal Division Chief Earl Thomas told City News Service.

An additional 187 protesters were released without bail and without being charged, because they had no prior criminal records.

Bail amounts ranged from $5,000 for most of the defendants to as high as $20,000.

Photos from the LAPD's raid of Occupy LA:

 

 

Comments

[dbrett480]

10:47 AM on 12/10/2011

You cannot infiltrate a group that is open to the public. The LAPD did nothing wrong and was completely within the law to do this.

[Ankhorite]

06:23 PM on 12/07/2011

As bad as the infamous "red squads" of Chicago, New York, and other big cities during the peace movements of the 1960s, 1970s, and now.

Go ahead, google 'em up. Thank heaven we have cell phone cameras now to provide a LITTLE bit of protection from police misconduct == but the real misconduct is that of the public officials who tell their cops to attack the public.

[Kevin Rayburn]

07:20 PM on 12/06/2011

i dare guess there are and have been since day one, cooperating witnesses at pretty close to every place the protesters have gathered if not every place including "facebook freinds" and twitter monitoring.

[Sh00Fly]

06:19 PM on 12/06/2011

Serene Branson Trying to ignore this crazy Occupy LA Protester
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1JTflEBPT8&feature=player_embedded

[The Lie Detector]

12:47 AM on 12/06/2011

Has everyone seen the tent monster video? Here's the not so funny follow up:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAkUB7jRb2c&feature=player_embedded

Where I come from, we call this assault.

[debekniss]

02:28 PM on 12/07/2011

I just watched this and I am shocked to see it. Just because her outfit was a tent for the police to remove it leaving her only in underwear in a public gathering should be considered assult. However not being to knowledgable about the laws in that country I think what they did to her in public is far worst then the tent costume she was wearing. It just goes to show how far the powers that be will try to go and do to stop a Occupy movement protester. Shameful acts for peaceful people. She clearly did not resist and they clearly gave her no option but to be stripped publically.

[Aj Beamish]

08:11 PM on 12/05/2011

Disobedience, in the eyes of anyone who has read history, is man's original virtue. It is through disobedience that progress has been made, through disobedience and through rebellion.

~ Oscar Wilde

[shooter486]

08:02 PM on 12/05/2011

English quiz:

Can anyone tell the word that defines the belief of someone that is against the "occupy" movment.

Childish answers will be ignored, but obviously expected.

[ssassy78]

10:12 PM on 12/05/2011

Please don't preface your post with 'English quiz' and then forget basic rules for usage and conventions. You meant to say something like 'Limbaugh quiz' or 'Home Skewled With Walker quiz.' Those would be far more appropriate terms to use for the nonsense, non-question (???) you posed...

[shooter486]

04:20 PM on 12/06/2011

"You meant to say something like 'Limbaugh quiz' or 'Home Skewled With Walker quiz."

LOL. Typical liberal fails with a lame assumption. Doesn't even try.

Maybe she is looking for a "participation trophy for being present and 'trying' to give an answer.".

WRONG!

[Niet]

10:30 PM on 12/05/2011

Tea Partier?

[shooter486]

04:18 PM on 12/06/2011

"Tea Partier?"

Ask a liberal to give you one word and se what happens. LOL.

[Dr Revolt]

06:26 PM on 12/05/2011

This is way out of line. The police are there to keep the peace, not gather information to sabotage the voice of the people. This points to one of several obvious conclusions, the police work under and take orders given by the powers that be.

Get the facts at WWW.TRUTHGUM.COM

[shooter486]

06:51 PM on 12/05/2011

"The police are there to keep the peace, not gather informatio­n to sabotage the voice of the people."

Just to sabotage the voice of OWS. The OWS do not represent the people.

[Niet]

10:31 PM on 12/05/2011

Oh, so it's ok to sabotage the voice of a minority group?

[debekniss]

03:14 AM on 12/07/2011

'shooter486
I find it ironic you think you can make that claim
as if you are the representive of the people.
Since this movement is growing in numbers daily
I don't recall getting a call from you or anyone else taking a census.
So in reality this must only be your opinion or better yet your perception,
Count me as a supporter of Occupy because like it or not
they are there to support YOU.

[BeautifulOnDaOutside]

02:49 AM on 12/06/2011

Police enforce the law. Keeping peace is just one of their duties.

[debekniss]

03:15 AM on 12/07/2011

hmm I will remember that next time they pepper spray a 84 yr old lady,

[PaulD08]

04:48 PM on 12/05/2011

wont say it surprises me,,But reading the supposed constitution loving R-wing posts is very enlightening,, in Texas they give 3hrs a day "permission' to protest,,people holding signs beaten ,sprayed ,,DNA swabs,,ultra violet hand marking,,press kept in cages away from police actions,,These supposed govt. hating,freedom loving R-wingers can`t get enough of it,,it must be tough explaining R-winger freedom loving BS these days , I know ,,they`re concerned with public health,,lets beat and spray people to protect them
Point 2) "They`re dirty" .... Ive been at OWS NY many times,,All requests,attempts to bring in porti-johns ,water etc were denied and forcibly prevented,,4 days before the park was "evacuated" OWS had secured portijohns and bath facilities nearby,,The govt found that a threat to their narrative and acted accordingly.
point 3,, Since OWS used donations to erect a lisc. nurse tent, a free food table and clothing,blankets etc the 'camp became a magnet for homeless and street people. some claimed they were directed there by cops,, The pix of needles etc were from the Med tent,,They were used for diabetics..I saw the medical care myself and was taken aback that that OWS took on that responsibility. A move to discourage the homeless from staying at OWS was voted down
to my dismay

[shooter486]

06:33 PM on 12/05/2011

"But reading the supposed constituti­on loving R-wing posts "

Becuae you don't read or understand the entire Constituion, doesn't mean that those of that that did need to be corrected.

"All requests,a­ttempts to bring in porti-john­s ,water etc were denied and forcibly prevented"

LOL, they can't request a toilet so it is OK to create a hazardous waste site?

[PaulD08]

08:45 PM on 12/05/2011

1875)," the Supreme Court held that "the right of the people peaceably to assemble for the purpose of petitioning Congress for a redress of grievances, or for anything else connected with the powers or duties of the National Government, is an attribute of national citizenship, and, as such, under protection of, and guaranteed by, the United States." Thats a 1st amendment ruling
"Hazardous waste site""LOL.. you do have a sense of humor,,I`ll give u that
I`ll repeat,,we requested to supply ourselves with H20 and Porti johns at our expense,,By the time Bloomberg broke the encampment we had contracted those facilities nearby and had none of those issues you hold so dear,, the rules disallowing sleeping bags and tents were "enacted " after the "occupation " started,,as no one foresaw the park would be used that way,,, you never responded to the 3hr speech limit in Texas..
Curious,,of what you believe we protest about do you disagee with??

[Niet]

10:32 PM on 12/05/2011

Moce to China, fascist.

[debekniss]

03:18 AM on 12/07/2011

PaulD08
your going to confuse people with truth if you keep this up. :)
And by all means please continue the great work your doing:)

[PaulD08]

12:13 PM on 12/07/2011

Thank you Deb, the pressure is working,,i hope you can participate and encourage others as well

[julieintx]

04:35 PM on 12/05/2011

Shrinkwrapping an ATM? Great, that is just what a working mom needs to contend with in her rush to do errands between work and home. And it affects the 1% not at all.

[goodwillsf]

10:12 PM on 12/05/2011

try to slow down and realize that the world around you, in this case 1 ATM machine, is not all about you all the time, and it does impact the 1% who are seriously worried about BoA's imminent demise contrary to all their corrupt tactics

[Niet]

10:33 PM on 12/05/2011

Oh, boohoo. Cry me a river.

[SickHippie]

04:23 PM on 12/05/2011

"Occupy San Francisco announced the creation of the People's Reserve Credit Union on Friday."

Looks like this protest is actually starting to make a difference. The easiest way to change a corporation's behavior is create a successful competitor with different practices, using those differences as marketing tactics. Brilliant.

If we can create our own banks, we can create our own political parties and candidates as well.

It may be too much to hope for, but perhaps this will lead to the breaking of the biggest monopoly in the country - the Two Party Political System.

[shooter486]

06:34 PM on 12/05/2011

"If we can create our own banks, we can create our own political parties and candidates as well."

LOL, what is going to happen when they can't find anybody willing to work at said bank? "Whaaa, it is servitude to make me show up to work!"

[SickHippie]

06:57 PM on 12/05/2011

So you don't think the hundreds of protesters involved in organizing, managing, and executing the plans of OWS, who are currently working for free, would be willing to work for money?

>MFW

I'm very, very glad I don't share your worldview.

[Niet]

10:40 PM on 12/05/2011

LOL. It's called a Credit Union. They exist all over the world and started almost 150 years ago. On Bank Transfer Day, November 5th, $60 Billion was transferred from big banks to CUs in protest. It's actually better than a bank for a number of reasons including...

* Lower APR on most loan types, including student loans, mortgages, auto loans and credit cards
* Better rates of return on savings accounts and certificates of deposit
* Low-fee or no-fee checking accounts and ATM access
* Low or no minimum balances to maintain accounts
* U.S. Government insured accounts up to $250,000
* Dividends are paid to members, not shareholders

[BeautifulOnDaOutside]

02:53 AM on 12/06/2011

Good for them. Best of luck. Much more useful than camping in parks and taunting police.

[1Truthseeker]

03:26 PM on 12/05/2011

Another glaring example of our 2 tier Justice system in an excerpt from an article on HP @ 60 min. interview with the Countrywide Financial whistle blower Eileen Foster:

"Still, no top level finance executives have faced federal prosecution for actions related to the financial crisis, despite several reports, like Foster's, that allege fraud was a common practice. At the same time, as Federal prosecution of financial fraud falls to a 20-year low, over two thousand people have been arrested in connection with the Occupy Wall Street prostests."

The application of our 2 tier Justice System = BIG CRIME PAYS!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/05/countrywide-whistleblower-mortgage-fraud-systemic_n_1129637.html

[shooter486]

06:35 PM on 12/05/2011

"Another glaring example of our 2 tier Justice system"

Maybe if somebody explained how it really works, you wouldn't be so upset.

[Niet]

10:44 PM on 12/05/2011

Why don't you enlighten us as to how it really works?

[cheeseheadnate]

03:12 PM on 12/05/2011

This Occupy Movement is interesting because of the crackpots that the media has focused their attention on thus far. I like when you hear about the guy that quit his job and went back to school for puppetry .. but now wants his loans paid for, because he can't find a job.

I wish people would qualify their position, by indicating what job they currently hold (if any) and what degree they have (if any).

Furthermore, I don't feel any animosity towards people that have become wealthy in this country. The United State of America may be a democratic society .. but it's financial infrastructure is built on capitalism. Yes, a system that rewards people for taking their risk capital and sweat equity and trying to create a product or service that other will pay for etc....

This country was never designed with the notion of womb-to-tomb government support for everyone's poorly thought out decisions. Our founding fathers never envisioned a federal government with it's fingers in area of education or public assistance. I firmly believe that they intended on the lowest forms of government dealing with these issues, and private organizations and private citizens helping out their fellow man/woman that are on hardtimes.

We need to change this culture in this country, where we have bred multiple generations of entitlement-babies. There is no free lunch in life, it costs somebody something and we can't keep paying for all this nonsense.

[PaulD08]

04:41 PM on 12/05/2011

do you believe govt policy should be purchased ?,, do you believe in Democracy ? do you believe that corporations that spend on politicians are getting a return on their investment? Can you think of any recent legislation where you felt the resulting policy was`nt tainted by and tilted towards the richest amongst us? This notion that OWS people want handouts and "cradle to grave" govt is propaganda,, PS the govt would be a lot smaller if so many did`nt have to feed at the political trough

[shooter486]

06:46 PM on 12/05/2011

"This notion that OWS people want handouts and "cradle to grave" govt is propaganda­,"

Maybe you should hear their interivews. Pretending it is propaganda tells me you are not getting the whole story. You must use huffpuff as your sole source of "news".

[cheeseheadnate]

02:48 AM on 12/06/2011

It's not propaganda when these people are saying these things in very clear plain english in front of the cameras. I dont' believe that Big Business should have received any taxpayer funds .. I do advocate the "no one is too big to fail". And yes most of the legislation being churned out by both the federal and state government(s) are tainted, but not just by Corporate Lobbyist - my Union spent approx $35million when they endorsed President Obama, tell me what they were doing if not trying to influence the policies that would come as a result of him winning the election?

[PaulD08]

05:04 PM on 12/05/2011

Its the people who determine policy that have animosity and disdain for eveyone else,,They do whatever they choose and we have to suck it up,,,,The people ask for healthy food,,sorry ,,you`re getting GMO`s,and,industrial slaughterhouses that you can`t inspect (unless your a pre screened gov agent).. You want $$ out of govt..? ,,nope ,,Less warring ,??,sorry ,,,we need the cash,,Can u please encourage green energy,??, Your getting coal and oil shaddup,,BTW, Oops we spilled oil,, mind your business ,,we`ll use whatever chems we want to disperse the oil,, Fracking ? what do you care what chems we use to flush the gas,, Don`t worry about your water

[cheeseheadnate]

02:56 AM on 12/06/2011

I think your comments have several valid points PaulD08. I think the FDA is woefully underpowered to protect the people against nationwide food poision (selmonela etc..). And yes the federal government has been talking about energy independance at least since Carter was in office - and yet have done nothing to spur growth of our energy infrastructure. And I agree with the spilled comment, in large part because the ramifications on the environment/communities that these spills have happened too has been far greater then the reprocussions that the company have to endure as a result of their actions.

We all need to accept the fact that not a single energy source is going to be able to supply this country with enough energy. But renewable energy sources really need to be incorporated into our energy policy "NOW" not sometime down the road.

They need to review all the laws on the books, and revise the federal code in it's entirety imo. We need to put all levels of government on a diet, because there no such thing as a money-tree.

God Bless America

[chswad]

02:57 PM on 12/05/2011

As long as OWS favors stopping our lawmakers from taking bribes from lobbyists, I will favor OWS.

[frontierspirit]

03:31 PM on 12/05/2011

thats a big one on the agenda.

[Kevin Rayburn]

07:27 PM on 12/06/2011

would it not be easier to ask said lawmakers to do without oxygen?

[bohratom]

01:14 PM on 12/05/2011

Is it just me or does it seem ows is turning into a farce with the daily updates. I mean its now news that someone put up some walls of a building and we spend an entire day tweeting when it goes down. I think ill stick to my NFL and beer.

[debekniss]

04:15 AM on 12/07/2011

we each have our prioritys in life i rather stay in touch with history making Occuoy movment maybe cuz I don't like football nor do I like beer. But I really hate government corrution more