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

[kevin]

hmmm, protesting hate on one group by focusing hate on another group. that makes a lot of sense...

[Nunya]

Adam and Eve.....NOT Adam and Steve....

How do all the homosexuals and lesbians think they got on this earth...if it wasn't for their parents, a MAN and a WOMAN....they would not have even been conceived .....the only exception to this is invetro fertilization and that is for women who have trouble getting pregnant....not a gay couple who can't have kids... because GOD didn't create them to have children and populate the world that way.....

i am a Christian and not a Mormon...i think that the protestors should go to the other churches and groups as expressed like the other notes left here....

[An American]

Wow, the people have voted in a majority in favoure of prop 8. Our country is run on the majority and the majority have spoken, if this prop is so unconstitutional and bigoted, the federal supreme court would have done something about it. I dont belive prop 4 should have failed, but you dont see me throwing a temper tantrum in front of abortion clinics. THIS IS AMERICA WHERE WE VOTE FOR WHAT WE WANT, AND THE MAJORITY HAVE VOTED IN FAVOR OF PROP 8, GET OVER IT!

[Amused and Saddened]

It's been both amusing and a bit disheartening to read the anger that begets even more anger, from both sides.

The advertising to vote for 8 didn't make people vote Yes any more than the advertising to vote against 8 made people vote No. People voted their conscience. Anyone with trouble wants someone or something to blame. In this case, anyone unhappy that 8 won wants to blame the easiest target, which is seems has become the Mormons.

[ronnie]

in response to 'dave' who truly believes that marriage isn't a right and that gays haven't been denied any rights.....

wikipedia has a page explaining civil unions. here are some major differences:

1. civil unions are not recognized by the federal government.
2. civil unions are not recognized in all 50 states, denying many rights if they need to move or should be traveling in another state.
3. the rights granted by civil unions very from state to state, some not offering any at all.

If the federal government does not have to recognize civil unions, any right given by a civil union can be challenged in a federal court.

You want us all to believe that marriage is strictly a religious union, but it is also a legal union that affords straights many rights that aren't awarded to gay civil unions. I didn't look into the specifics but there are over 1,300 specific rights that married couples have that civil unions don't recognize.

Anyone that thinks this is equal is deluding themselves. It is sad the lies and untruths that have been told. Shame on anyone who voted for Prop 8 thinking that civil unions were exactly the same without doing the research.

I will love who I love, with or without your approval; but as long as I am a tax paying citizen, I don't appreciate my taxes paying for legislation that denies me rights ensured to me by the constitution of the United States and the constitution of California.

[BirthdayBoy]

For those who are targeting the Church of Jesus Chirst of Latter Day Saints.... here is the Churches official statement.

http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/church-responds-to-same-sex-marriage-votes#continued

[Wondering about Speilberg]

Has anyone else heard anything about Steven Spielberg planning to move any future movie operations he is involved with to Massachusetts?

[Concerned about California]

I heard another protest is scheduled for Saturday. Does anyone have information on this? We have a caravan from Palm Springs coming...

[John Coleman]

This reminds me of the vote we had in Ireland last summer, on the EU Lisbon Treaty. We voted No, yet are being told to go back and do it again and this time get the right answer. It seems to certain people and causes, democracy is only to be respected when advancing their own agendas.

[larry mason]

Why are the whiners opposing a democratic decision by the people of California? Then the attack against a church is foul and barbaric. Convince a majority that your position is correct unless you are too lazy or intellectually bankrupt. Of course for the emotionally stunted it is much more fun to make an ass of oneself in the streets.

[Mark]

How sick that the voices of tolerance are directing such hatred towards a religious minority. Wacky beliefs? 46 states now prohibit same sex marriage, 30 of them by constitutional amendments. In the 27 states that enacted constitutional amendments before Nov. 4, the average "yes" vote was 69%. Gays can go on shouting that 52% of Californians are bigots and that 69% of people in 27 other states are bigots. Go right ahead. You are damaging your cause with your childish antics like little kids in a sandbox. Marriage is for people of opposite sex. Gays have all the rights of marriage through domestic partnerships and California has the strongest anti-discrimination laws in the nation for homosexuals. Go to work and act like respectful citizens instead of cry babies.

[Fred]

Gotta love those nutty Californians. This is more entertaining than anything on TV.

[Marty]

No one is denied his/her rights by Prop 8. Everyone has the exact same right. To have your marriage recognized by the government, you need to meet certain conditions. One is that the marriage be between a man and a women. It's not exclusive to heterosexuals. Homosexuals' rights are not infrnged upon because there are limits on who they can marry. Those limits apply to eveyone who seeks to have their marriage recognized. A gay person would certainly not want to be married under this condition, but s/he is not denied the right to be married. Someone who loves to drive fast is not discriminated against because there are speed limits. The limits appy to everyone. If you feel the limits on marriage should be removed, don't say it's because it denies someone his/her rights. Also, be prepared to remove any other limits (age requirements, blood-relations, multiple partners, etc.)

[Peter]

How about pedophilia, polygamy ? They want to get married too ? Lets grant rights to them as well, they were born like this !!! Teachers having sex with students should be accepted as a norm. So, whoever wants to get away being immoral lets blame it on equality, God, and justice, right ??? There should be a limit and we as the people have drawn the line. Get over and share your love with each other, and leave us alone or you will make the matters worse. Get a life.....elections are over!!!!!!!!!

[Brad]

I am reading that the definition of marriage is between a man and a woman and this is established by religion... well right there lies a problem. Yes there are a lot of rights provided by domestic partnerships and civil unions but not all of the same rights...

A marriage may also not be considered a right - insisting gay people are not losing any rights since marriage isn't a right- implying that it is what? A privilage - no matter what you call it, if one group has the access to the privilage/right and one group is called out and not allowed access ... you have discrimination.

Telling us to get over it - the people have spoken is still wrong. Yes we are run by majority votes, however taking away rights/privilages/changing a constitution to include this is discrimination just like it was at the beginning of the civil rights movement.

I'd be perfectly happy calling my relationship a civil union or domestic partnership if that's what the others have as well. Since there is a separation of state and religion - change all of these marriages into what they truly are - government signed legal documents i.e. civil unions / domestic partnerships. Everyone would have the same rights and the same name.

As for those who so callously must hold onto the word 'marriage' and it's religious conotations can then take your civil union legal document to your place of worship and claim to all your friends and family you are married.

[evan]

ok, thought experiment time:

suppose that the government had a legal distinction for "baptised person" didn't matter what religion, so long as they were some kind of baptised. That person then had certain rights and distinctions under the law that a non baptised person didn't have. Then someone unreligious came along, and said, i want those rights too! So the government said hmm.. i don't know. well ok, you can be known as a "select" person, which is by and large the same thing, different name. Then there was a big fight over unreligious people should have to go by a different name in the eyes of the law.

Here's my point. Isn't the problem with this that government got itself involved with some religious ceremony in the first place? Isn't that the dumb part?

And i'm sure people will insist that it is necessary for society to operate. okay fine. how about the government calls NO ONE married and considers everyone in a domestic partnershi, then leave it to the mormons, catholics, and first churchs of hippism to decide who they want to marry?

[Cupertino]

Well now, quite a handful of you bigoted Prop8 supporters are ignorant beyond belief, but then again bigotry and ignorance always went hand-in-hand, as history repeatedly shows again and again.

I hope you can take solace and celebrate in the next few years of having unjustly removed the right to marriage from fellow Californian residents, because anyone with even half a brain can see that time is not on your side. Those aged 18-24 voted overwhelmingly to defeat Prop 8, and those aged 24-early 30s voted significantly against Prop 8, regardless of ethnicity.

So by all means homophobes, put on your blindfolds and celebrate in denial of the inevitable while you can.

[joe martin]

"Religion is man made. Someone's religious beliefs should not rule out others rights. I agree we should target the churches for all their injustices. I think we need to attack them big time. They are the enemy and we should attack them non-violently, but in ways that will give them less power. Jesus has killed more people than he has saved." AR

IN RESPONSE: Your supppositions are ridiculous...typical of heathen mob mentality...You should understand Christianity before making any judgements...JESUS NEVER KILLED ANY ONE BUT HE WILL SEND YOU TO HELL FOR YOUR UNBELIEF AND UNREPENTANT HEART THAT HATES HIM.

[nick_r]

You know what would really help?

If every person who voted Yes on 8 -- or who has opposed gay rights in any other form -- could just come clean and admit that the reason they voted that way is that THEY'RE JUST NOT COMFORTABLE WITH GAY PEOPLE.

Because at the end of the day, THAT'S the reason. Not because of any "traditional marriage" nonsense. Not because gays "can't reproduce" (that argument is beyond ridiculous given that plenty of straight couples can't reproduce either and are still allowed to marry). Not because the Bible says so. All these supposed justifications are merely a crutch.

Please, just have the guts to admit that gay people make you uncomfortable. Because that's something that can be dealt with. That's something we can make progress on. Don't hide behind a make-believe wall.

[Randy]

So the protest is against the voters who said, 'yes'? The protest is against people who care about their families? The protest is against redistribution of wealth to advertising executives? I'm confused, maybe that's why this looks like emotionally underdeveloped people rolling on the ground and screaming, 'I do what I want, and you do what I want to'. This is about people who were born that way and never grew up.

[Adam Ingersoll]

I know many religious people (Black folks especially) who feel genuine compassion towards gay people. But they're deeply religious, they don't believe or don't understand the biological basis for homosexuality, they think it is a sin, they pray for the souls of gay people, they believe that God doesn't want them to encourage sin, they love their children and were swayed by the manipulative pro-8 ads, and so with a heavy heart and/or confused head, they voted yes.

I think these folks are horribly misguided, but I don't hate them. I hate those who voted Yes on 8 because they hate gay people. There might be some religious roots to their original hatred, but mostly they just hate people who are different. You know who you are. You are enjoying seeing gay people hurting and upset over this. By the way, I have never know anyone who hated gays who didn't also hate other groups and didn't on some level hate themselves. You might be the first, but I doubt it.

I remember when I had issues with gay people. (I was 12 years old....what is your excuse?) Then my mother started very painfully coming out of the closet. I'll spare you the details, but I bet you would no longer think of being gay as a choice or a sin if you had been through it. My mom ended up in a monogamous loving relationship with the same partner (who helped raise me) for the next 20 years. My mom passed away a year ago after a battle with cancer. She didn't have health insurance when she was first diagnosed because she wasn't covered on her partner's plan due to Illinois state law at the time. She would have been more likely to be able to get the treatment she needed earlier if laws and backward thinking like Prop 8 didn't exist.

I support those who have taken to the streets over this outrage.

[Truth]

I didn't realize lack of embracement of personal inclination could be considered a civil rights issue or let alone oppression. Discrimination is DISCRIMINATING against something outside of a persons will or control (race, ethnicity, gender). Not wanting imposition of personal choice to a society as a whole is called wisdom!

[Dave in Hollywood]

Oh please people. I'm a gay Mormon and the Mormon church deserves what it gets. It's all free speech, even if someone calls it a protest or hate or whatever.

A protest at the Mormon temple is completely appropriate because the Mormon Church via its members donated the majority of the money and time spent to pass Prop 8.

The Mormon church has won the battle but lost the war. Time and history will not be kind to the Mormons and I'm sure they are fine with that. Every action has its consequences. So let the consequences happen.

[Clark]

Thankfully, the world is better off with people like "Please no more gays!!!!" leading the literacy charge . Dude, even Obama is against Prop 8.

[Michael]

Ultimately, the problem is that what some people like to do in private has become equal to a race or ethnicity. Many, like those whose race or ethnicity has caused them to struggle in this country, don't appreciate that. Others have what they believe to be the word of God saying the unintended use of a man or woman is sin. God has not told them he changed his mind so they see same-sex couples a unrepentant sinners. Gays interpret that as hatred. ULTIMATELY, what we have here is what divorce court calls 'irreconcilable differences.' It may be time for red and blue to get a divorce.