Blackhawk helicopters buzz downtown in military exercise

Night-time military helicopter flights over downtown Los Angeles this week are part of training exercises to familiarize military personnel with urban settings and prepare them for future assignments overseas, according to authorities.

The helicopters, which have appeared nightly for almost a week, have attracted the attention of residents as they hover over downtown landmarks like City Hall, or maneuver quickly between office skyscrapers on Bunker Hill. While many residents speculated that the diving and climbing helicopters were part of a movie shoot, authorities confirmed Wednesday that they were part of a joint exercise.

A short notice saying the LAPD would be supporting an urban military exercise was posted on the department's official blog.

The notice says the exercises started June 15 and are scheduled to end Saturday and that they will occur throughout Greater Los Angeles.

Authorities said training sites and times have been selected so they do not disrupt the daily routines of businesses and residents. Safety precautions have also been taken to protect the public and military personnel. The training is not open to the public.

-- Richard Winton and Dan Weikel

Comments

[John Klett]

If you believe this article and do not understand that posse commitatus has been eliminated, NorthCom established to provide military operations inside the US then you are naive. This has nothing to do with foreign military operations, it is about martial law in the US!!!

[Carl Gunther]

According to Wikipedia, the Posse Comitatus Act "generally prohibits federal military personnel and units of the National Guard under federal authority from acting in a law enforcement capacity within the United States, except where expressly authorized by the Constitution or Congress."

This Times article reports cooperation between the LAPD, which is involved in domestic law enforcement, and the military, which is prohibited from engaging in such enforcement, for the purpose of carrying out "urban exercises."

This raises a number of serious questions, including the following:

1) How is training in Los Angeles relevant to training for foreign combat? Are there cities in Afghanistan that are a lot like Los Angeles? How about in Iraq?

2) If this is part of military training for overseas missions, then why is the LAPD involved?

3) Does the existence of such LAPD/military cooperation constitute a violation of the Posse Comitatus Act?

4) Is it a coincidence that these exercises are occurring during the onset of a fiscal calamity involving unpopular cuts to social programs necessitated by unpopular decisions to maintain low tax rates on wealthy citizens and corporations?

[Ruby Jackson]

These are good points raised by John and Carl. Perhaps it is Tehran in which the military is planning urban rescue? Even more scary is the thought that maybe it's Los Angeles and that's why the LAPD is involved? North Korea has promised a "fire shower of nuclear retaliation" against the US, and I would think Los Angeles would be the target for that aggression.

[Sarolite]

I think that it's in everyone's best interest to be cooperative. A joint exercise doesn't necessarily mean that they're planning for this action to be in the US or in Los Angeles. It probably means that the military is making use of the LAPD's extensive knowledge of the area to plan the exercises.

I know it's more fun to speculate about how something can possibly be illegal, but it's normally the simpler explanation that turns out to be true.

[aaron]

These military exercises are to protect the elites, the corporations and the thier wealth. California is going through some awesome changes that will affect the poor masses dramatically, if your're on public assistance, you have better start looking for a job..the economic slaughter is coming, and these military exercise are to protect the elitist from the poor. Read Carl Gunther number four statement..its right on the money.

[Aaron]

Sarolite said: "I think that it's in everyone's best interest to be cooperative. "

Yes of course, Sarolite! Let's cooperate with the Schutzstaffel guards... just do what they say, fall in line, get the barcode tattooed on your arm, and walk into the chambers as instructed.

"Being cooperative" worked out really well for the Jews in 1942, didn't it?

[todd]

"if your're on public assistance, you have better start looking for a job"

Umm...shouldn't they already have been looking? The point of public assistance is a safety net, not a way of life.

The constitution says "pursuit of happiness", not a guarantee.

[Brandon]

They buzzed my balcony last night on the 24th floor downtown. They had no lights on and then landed on the Aon tower. It was cool to watch.

[Eric Blair]

John Klett has it right.

It is quite obvious that the sundry machinations of David Rockefeller and his elite ilk have perpetrated a coup against the constitutional rights of all citizens of the United States, and soon Martial Law will indeed be imposed upon the sheeple who inhabit this country.

Council on Foreign Relations, the Bilderberg Group, the Trilateral Comission, Xe, aka, Blackwater...the list goes on, ad infinitum. The top 1% of the global elite, the richest bastion of cretins who control the trillions in the world, call the shots.

Martial Law is imminent. Get ready. Many aspects are already in place. Time to hunker down and watch as all hell breaks loose.

Hovering helicopters? Give me a break! That pales to what is next.

Get ready. Watch your back................1984 is upon us.

[Disco]

All of you conspiracy theory people are nuts. They are training because they need to practice in an urban environment with tall buildings. Were they flying MH500's with troops on the sides? Sounds like 160th SOAR guys to me. The military is allowed to train on US soil people. The LAPD and LAFD are involved for safety reasons. If they weren't, it would be the NY AF1 fiasco all over with the city not knowing. My god, get a life poeple!

[SGT. John R. Thurber]

People please Relax. This is not uncommon training for us. We fly around the Los Angeles basin all the time. Both day and night.

[Peter Stengaard]

- well, whatever the reason is...it's just really annoying and I can't sleep in this stupid noise...and I pay a lot of tax so these helicopters can spoil my sleep...Governator !!! stop this nonsense...

[Oracle66]

These tea leaves ain't hard to read. Cali is broke as is the nation. Even if the Fed steps in to provide short term cash, Cali's problems are simple. Too much going out and not enough going in. Cali can't provide health, education, criminal justice and welfare services for the influx of immigrants. Its just that simple. We will see how this gets played out. Raise taxes and people and businesses will relocate leading to a further spiraling decline. Go broke and all hell breaks loose because police, fire, sanitation, healthcare and other social services are cut. California......the nation is watching because as you go....so does the rest of us. Cali has an opportunity to set the right tone, they will choose to either collapse or to succeed. In any case it is sure to get ugly between the haves and the have nots.

[Los Angeles Resident]

Today August 18, 2009,at about 4:30 pm military helicopter buzzes through Chinatown area ( Los Angeles,CA.) and rapidly into Downtown .This is not the first time within the past few months I have witnessed this incident, while I am driving on the 110 S freeway.

[Jaime Gehly]

Don't you think that if there really was some conspiracy going on here that they would want to be a little less obvious about their actions? Some of you people are so obsessed with the idea that the World is coming to an end. I bet it's a sad sight to see the disappointment in your eyes every morning when you wake up to find that it is still there.