Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Protest topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council adopts statement to protect demonstrators’ constitutional rights ahead of DNC
Summary
On Aug. 11 the City Council unanimously approved a motion declaring that the city will not attempt to impinge on demonstrators’ constitutional rights during the Democratic National Convention and that demonstrators will be afforded full rights by the police department.
The Los Angeles City Council on Aug. 11 voted unanimously to adopt a council statement intended to protect the exercise of demonstrators’ constitutional rights during the upcoming Democratic National Convention.
Council members debated competing wordings but ultimately approved a substitute motion (the final text substituted for a longer original proposal). The adopted language states that the city will not attempt to impinge on demonstrators’ exercise of constitutional rights during the Democratic National Convention and that demonstrators will be afforded their full rights by the police department.
Councilmember Susan Goldberg, who introduced the original motion, said the measure was intended to reaffirm established constitutional protections for demonstrators and to address recent incidents that speakers described as intimidation or unnecessary arrests. “We are not asking for anything that’s controversial. Read the document,” Goldberg said, urging the council to state its expectation that the city and police department respect constitutional rights.
Speakers on both sides described tension between preserving constitutional rights and ensuring public safety during a large, high‑security event. A city security planner told the council that his role is planning security operations and that department officials intended to “respect the rights and the laws of the United States and the state of California.” Several council members urged calm and emphasized the difficult operational role police will face during the convention.
Following debate the council voted first on whether to substitute the shorter, second‑paragraph‑focused language; the motion to substitute passed and the council then approved the substitute language. The clerk recorded the final vote as unanimous on the substitute motion.
ACTIONS: Council adopted the substitute motion declaring the city will not attempt to impinge on demonstrators’ constitutional rights during the DNC and asking that demonstrators be afforded their full rights by police; the substitute passed on a recorded roll call, recorded as unanimous.
