LAPD braces for Prop. 8 protest in West L.A., vows to be prepared*

More than 3,000 protesters marched near the landmark Los Angeles California Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Westwood today to protest the church's strong support for Proposition 8. Santa Monica Boulevard is closed and nearby traffic is gridlocked.

Opponents of Proposition 8, which outlawed gay marriage in California, were waving banners and chanting. A similar protests occurred on Wednesday night in Hollywood and West Hollywood.

Los Angeles Police Department officials say they won't be caught off-guard as they were last night, when they were required to call a tactical alert after a few members of the mostly peaceful crowd got out of hand. The protest is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. off Santa Monica Boulevard.

In the wake of the passage of the state proposition banning gay marriage, Wednesday night saw thousands protest in West Hollywood and Hollywood, forcing police to shut down some streets and the LAPD to call a citywide tactical alert that required officers from one watch to stay on duty during the next watch.

At least seven people were arrested, four at the intersection of Hollywood and Highland, where one man jumped on top of a police car. Television cameras captured one protester struggling with officers and being struck on the legs by batons.

The Mormon temple is apparently being targeted because of church members' funding and support of the proposition.

* Update: Another protest is planned for later this afternoon in West Hollywood near the Pacific Design Center. The MTA says streets will be closed and buses rerouted. Details from the MTA statement:

Metro has received word that there will be additional Prop. 8 demonstrations this afternoon and evening and [L.A. County Sheriff's Department]  will be closing San Vicente from Melrose to Santa Monica Boulevard starting at 4 p.m. until the streets are cleared, which could go into the late evening. There will be no traffic including buses allowed to go north on San Vicente.  During this time, Metro will need to reroute buses to Robertson to go north and then east on Santa Monica Blvd.

**Update 2: Metro corrected their earlier statement, saying the Sheriff's Department currently has "no formal plan to close San Vicente Boulevard between Santa Monica Boulevard and Melrose Avenue this evening."

-- Richard Winton and Rong-Gong Lin II

Photo credit: Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[joe martin]

See Homosexuals! see this is what happens when You can't accept the that the people have voted and now this is the LAW...but You can't accept this can You? You are just a bunch of winers and cry babies! Go buy yourselves a Island and You can do what You please like live in debauchery and filth and have your own immoral anthropocentric laws.

[Steve]

African Americans were once told that they had to drink from separate water fountains. Was that fair? Was that just? "It's all the same water". Of course it was not fair, nor was it just. SEPARATE IS NOT EQUAL.

[Tony]

Prop 8 looks familar with those anti-interracial marriage, even now, 50% divorced in same race marriage, 80% in inter-racial marriage, 90% in inter-racial with black. But now, we elected an inter-racial president, so equal right for all.

[Sandra Guzman]

All religions believe that homosexuality is WRONG not just the Mormons - you need to protest at every church in the State -To you people who demand, stamp your feet and wave your fists cause you can't have your way - THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN! THE MAJORITY HAS SPOKEN! Get over it. You homosexuals already have equality - you can form civil unions which give you the same exact rights as married people get. You just want to 'NORMALIZE' homosexuality and it's not going to happen. Religious people will never, ever go your way - The Holy Bible as well as all religons' books say it is wrong and goes against God's plan.

[Grubal Muruch]

I saw this guy in the video, carrying a sign that read, 'God made me gay.' Well the same sign could be used, by adding your 'particular choice of inappropriate and antisocial (and I might add sinful) behavior.

Examples; 'God made me a thief' or 'God made me an adulterer', or even'God made me an alcoholic'. Choose your own moniker. Whatever your weakness (sin) is.

Trying to blame the Deity is another way of not taking responsibility for our choices and behavior !

[Shannon]

Dave -

Would you feel that way if you were gay? Because it could have just as easily been you who turned out to be gay and not me. It's the luck of the draw, my friend.

My marrying another woman one day will affirm the institution of marriage and its importance, not ruin it. It's an institution built on love. I have loved someone who happens to be of the same gender as myself with all my heart, and someday I will marry someone of the same gender. And I would like it to be called a marriage so that our children will know that their parents' relationship is just as recognizable and respectable as any other.

The passage of Proposition 8 sends the message that my relationship is not as good as yours. How would you feel?

[rabmal sadat]

THE PEOPLE OF CALIFORNIA HAVE SPOKEN .. WE DO NOT WANT YOUR SAN FRANSISCO VALUES ... SO DO WHATS RIGHT AND MOVE ON BECAUSE THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN

[Dave]

Just to clarify... Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints donated to protectmarriage.com, but the church itself didn't donate anything. No church funds were used to promote prop 8.

[smo]

Dave,

Marriage is a right you have and gays do not. Have you heard of the separation between church and state? In the USA, we have freedom from religion. If marriage is a civil institution, it must not discriminate. Gays are not ruining anything. Your marriage will be perfect fine and protected under whatever faith you believe in. Heres a quote from an editorial," Any amendment banning same-sex marriage is unconstitutional; not because it injects the Constitution with discrimination, but because it injects it with religion in the form of sanctity"

[EJ]

The California voters spoke in 2000 (61% in favor of Prop 22), and again this week (52% in favor of Prop 8). Protest all you want, it won't change anything.

You are wasting your time protesting in front of the Temple...why not spend your time doing something useful?

[David]

to BLUE it doesnt really matter what the church is called and saying "The difference matters to Mormons" does not really matter to theose protesting. Mormons should just ride their bikes back to UTAH ,instill their beliefs into those who 'choose' to believe their crap.

No one has the right to say what makes you happy is wrong you are not living their life so it should not matter to you unless it affects you or somone directly.

[Robert]

Tax the churches! Tax the churches! Tax the churches!

[Americanadian]

Stop spinning your wheels by protesting in front of the LDS temple or a Knights of Columbus. Those groups will never accept gay marriage. Done. The people you should be focusing on are the Democrats and Obama supporters who voted Yes. Do you honestly think that every Obama supporter voted No? If so, you are dumber than you look. LA County voted overwhelmingly for Obama yet Prop 8 passed. Do the math, people and start realizing that the party that professed hope and change failed you.

[Gah]

Idiots. Why don't they head down to South Central and protest against black people? And all the latinos? I mean, they voted 70% to pass 8.

Gay people already have the right to marry....people of the opposite sex!

[Ryan]

The LDS Church did not directly fund the campaign for proposition 8. Members of the Church voluntarily donated their time and money to the support of this initiative.

[Ann]

I'm a straight woman, but I support these protests as long as they don't get violent.

I'm not sure what the Prop 8 supporters mean by saving marriage. Gay couples have been getting married in CA for months now; has the sky fallen? What am I to fear? My relationship with my husband is the same as before.

This proposition is one of the many reasons why I don't take my 9-year-old to church. And by the way, she thinks it's a free country and that gays should be allowed to marry.

[Please no more gays!!!!]

Gays have to accept the idea that traditional marriage is for traditional "people" and you don't need to get married to show love to the person you Love!!! But when comes to raise kids...it s a diffrent story because kids don't want to see Mama wearing daddy's pants and daddy with moma's lip stick on it !!!! Crazy world !!!

[Jillian]

This issue isn't about homosexuality it's about DISCRIMINATION!!!

It is as abhorrent to accept discrimination based on sexual orientation as it was to deny women the vote last century or to discriminate based on age, race, or the particular substances people choose to put into their bodies.

It is simply unacceptable to have laws created that are based on certain ideals or moral standards when the outcome of those laws is to cause misery and loss of opportunity to people who've harmed no one and who live productive lives respecting the rights of others.

Get your minds off what they do in bed (it's none of your business) and fight to eliminate discrimination!! While you’re at it ask your legislators why we don’t control marijuana with the *same laws* we use for alcohol!

[JULIA]

When an effigy of Sarah Palin hanging by a noose was hung from a house as "Halloween Art" widely publicized by a gay couple, and refused to take it down after protest, I gleefully voted yes on 8.

[JTS]

Joe Martin, you basically summed up pretty well what the Yes on 8 crowd feels but doesn't say. In the end, same sex couples will be awarded the right. The Proposition is unconstitutional just like the one that was struck down in 2000. It's not a matter of IF they will have equal rights, but WHEN?
History will judge those who supported this proposition harshly. I guarantee it.

[BudSD]

We're trying to organize some of these protests in San Diego County, too. Gay men and women will not tolerate discrimination! Good luck up there, today.

[JOE]

All those, whether Homosexual or heterosxual, who are crying and whining out there need to be good citizens and respect the LAW...the people have spoken again and again...this mob mentality only demonstrates how you wish push your sexual orientation on others...You are no different than Evangelicals who prostelytize when they have been told " no thanks " to their religious views.

[Christian Voice]

Using your freedom of speech to voice your opinion is your right. Forcing the rest of society to recognize and legitimize your alternative lifestyle through marriage, which is not a right, is just plain WRONG. It is time to accept that your lifestyle does not reflect the moral and ethical standards of american society. You are free to pursue your lives elsewhere, try Iran.

[John Q Public]

Marriage is between a man and a woman. If you want to call it a "garriage" or a homosexual union, go ahead. It's a free country. But don't call a dog a pig. A marriage is a marriage. Make up your own name for a union between the same sex....grow up people! You can't have everything. It's just like that commercial "I want it toasted AND untoasted..." It's ridiculous...

[srla]

Yes, the vast majority of Americans consider the core Mormon beliefs to be wacky. And odds are, if they knew more about those beliefs, they would find them even more odd (polytheism, the ability of men to become Gods, etc). Obviously Mormons are sensitive to this as they hardly publicize those beliefs and attempt to (somewhat disingenuously) characterize themselves as mainstream Christians.

The point is that a group so far from the mainstream is unwise to try and impose their beliefs on any minority group. It doesn't take a genius to realize that if religious beliefs are allowed to influence law and limit constitutional rights, then Mormons themselves have one of the biggest targets on their backs down the line, precisely because their own beliefs are so far from the mainstream. This is why our founding fathers embedded core rights into state and Federal constitutions - so that the whim s of the majority at any time in history would not be allowed to limit the rights of a minority.

And while it is hugely disappointing and ironic that such a high percentage of African Americans voted for Prop 8, it is the Mormons that contributed over 75% of the funding of Prop 8, much of that money from out of state. It is only right that a light now be cast on them and their true beliefs. They should not be allowed to manipulate from the shadows and, as a group, deserve any negative publicity they now receive.

Of course, a percentage of LDS members spoke out against their church's support of this measure, and I very much appreciate their courage to stand up against bigotry.