Three arrests in Long Beach Prop. 8 march

More than 2,000 demonstrators marched through Long Beach Friday night, protesting the recent passage of Proposition 8.

The noisy march started about 7:30 p.m. and within an hour had taken over Broadway.

At one point, police formed a human barrier to separate the marchers from a handful of residents who shouted in support of Proposition 8. “They were so outnumbered, we were concerned for their safety,” said David Marander, a spokesman for Long Beach Police, which worked closely with the event's organizers.

By 10:15 p.m., the demonstration had largely ended, but a few dozen marchers refused to disperse, leading to a brief confrontation with police. Three demonstrators were arrested for attempting to lead marchers off the approved route, said Marander, but overall, the demonstration went "extremely well," he said.

-- Jason Felch and Alexandra Zavas

Comments

[roy anthony shabla]

this is not true. there were over 3000 protestors. i was the first person arrested and put on a bus with five guys. we were later transferred to a small van that had another five people, two of them girls. when we arrived at the police station, there were already four protestors there, one of them a girl. six or more people were brought in within the hour. some of the police officers were good guys about it all. some were assholes and took the whole thing personally. not all the police were in riot gear but there were definitely a large force of them. the demonstration was entirely peaceful unless you consider chanting for rights dangerous or violent.

[Jean Borchelt]

thank you for not giving up the fight against discrimination....I wish I was there...I am with you all in spirit! Jeanie from Sonoma Ca.

[Miguel]

Keep rallying. Marriage is a CIVIL RIGHT. Boycott anything made by or funded by the mormon church. They were the main architects of Prop 8. The mormon church is against gay people.

[Anneliese Stewart]

There were far more than three arrested last night. I was one of them. There were six of us in my police van alone. We were not treated respectfully by the police at all, and all of us feel our constitutional rights were severely violated. I was on a public sidewalk exercising my right to a peaceful protest when I was reprimanded by a riot officer in a line of more than ten. I was charged in violation of code 409 pc, failure to disperse (remaining at the scene of a riot). There was no riot, as everyone seems to be reporting that it went quite well. Lines of riot police at the intersection of Broadway and Redondo raised tensions significantly, as protesters were rightfully confused by their presence. Apparently the first amendment doesn't apply to me or my fellow dissenters. Dissent is not treason. Know your rights and know when they are being violated.

[Jake]

Marriage is not a civil right. It's an issue that is left to the states to decide at this point. Through the democratic process, California voters amended the constitution. It is the right of the voters to do so. Far more was spent by NO on 8 than YES on 8. That said, California STILL voted to amend the constitution. Same-sex marriage is unconstitutional...and to borrow the words from Gavin Newsom...gay marriage is unconstitutional "whether (you) like it or not".

The Mormon church donated ZERO dollars to this initiative. It's members donated a lot, but not the church. Feel free to boycott the church and it's products...aka things that teach about God...and that's it. You think it's a business? It's a Church who's only purpose is to further God's will.

The Mormon church is not against Gay people, but is against gay actions. Newsflash...God is against homosexuality too. Who's side do you want to be on? And FYI...the Mormon church wasn't the Prop 8 architect. The Coalition of Churches was the architect, and they asked for the church to join their cause. Get your facts straight.

[Ben]

One them I have noticed is that gay rights supporters keep saying that T.V. commercials lied when they said that gay marriage would have to be taught in school. You guys are lieing when you say this is a lie. Can you be any more intellectually dishonest? You guys WANT gay marriage to become normalized. Of course you will push this. I personally have had this pushed upon my kindergartners. This is what you guys want. Just be honest with yourselves instead of callling others liers. You guys want gay marriage to be accepted in public schools and also in churches. Be intellectually honesty. That is what you want. Don't call others liers, when they are stating the truth. Proposition 8 is a reaction to you guys pushing your lifestyle down everyone else's throught. We could not care less if you guys want to live each with each other and we have no problem letting you guys establish legal relationships with one another. We do NOT want you forcing our children to consider your lifestyle, and we do NOT want you suing our churches who won't grant you a marriage. I know a doctor who was sued because he would not perform an in-vitro fertilization on unmarried (same sex) couples He was sued. This was HIS private practice, HIS medical skills, and HIS choice. The person doing the suing should have just found another doctor, but she didn't. This IS who you guys are. You guys want to force yourselves upon everyone else, and we are sick of it. Leave us alone.

[Enoch]

To Ben:

Please learn how to spell. I don't know many teachers that have as bad grammar and spelling as you.