The Anaheim Riots and Four Lessons All Lawfully Assembled Persons of Color Need to Know

For nearly two weeks, the city of Anaheim, California, has been torn apart by social unrest in the wake of the police shooting deaths of Manuel Diaz and Joel Acevedo. Police claim the pair were gang members who ran from cops wanting to question them. Community residents counter that Anaheim police unfairly target young Latino men, and that Diaz, who was unarmed when he was killed by police, was a family man with no gang ties.

Bolstered in ranks by regional Occupy members, Anaheim protesters continue to make their voices heard—calling for a more diverse, and less lethal, police force and more influence over civic affairs. The activist efforts, and the police response to the protests, have been revealing.

From [HERE] Here are four lessons to be learned from the public push back in Anaheim.

1) Do Not Trust the Agitators:

During the Occupy protests of 2011, protesters were often accused in the national press of starting trouble with police. So-called “anarchists” were said to have bolstered the ranks of the protesters, hell bent on causing trouble. But according to multiple reports out of Anaheim, there is increasing evidence that police plants are common at these protests—and they aren’t there simply to keep an eye on things. A policewoman (in photo) in Anaheim with her badge number tattooed on her arm was seen screaming epithets at cops, seemingly daring the police to charge the crowd—this only a few hours after she was spotted yelling pro-police slogans at several protesters.

If you plan on attending a protest, don’t let adrenaline-charged calls for fighting with police spur your inner bloodlust. The most violent protester in the crowd could very well be a cop.

2) There Are Repercussions to Running a Banana Republic:

The Occupy movement launched last year in part to protest an emerging America where the rich are not only seen as getting richer, but as using their money to drown out the democratic voices of the poor majority.

In Anaheim, that disparity plays out in stark brown and white. City affairs are dominated by the interests of a multi-billion dollar corporation—Disney—and a cabal of local real estate magnates, who together funnel millions of dollars into local elections.

Anaheim is more than 50 percent Latino, but not a single member of the city council is. Elections are held on a citywide basis, instead of dividing districts by geographic regions. Neighborhood pull isn’t good enough to get the word out about a local hero’s candidacy. It takes a whole lot of money instead.

If more than half of a community feels its interests aren’t being addressed, has little economic prospects, and has no representation in government, you’ve got a problem on your hands. The riots in Anaheim started over a series of police shootings, but the issues behind this uprising go much, much deeper. Expect to see the syndrome replicated in other communities. 

3) History Repeats Itself:

This isn’t the first time there has been unrest in Anaheim over social conditions and police brutality. Serious problems date back to 1978, when the historically segregated Latino neighborhood of Penguin City erupted in a riot against Anaheim police.

The incident began after a drive-by shooting targeted teenagers gathered in a public park to celebrate the return of a local football team. When police arrived, instead of investigating the shooting, officers started by questioning party-goers about underage drinking. Angered community residents responded in protest, and were summarily beaten and arrested by police.

A brief period of community collaboration followed in the wake of the Penguin City riots. But in the 1990s, Anaheim’s chief of police was revealed to be assembling dossiers on Latino activists who were organizing for change.

4) Local Politics Matter:

As the Anaheim protests clearly demonstrate, local politics affect communities far more than anything Barack Obama and Mitt Romney will jockey over in the next few months. Anaheim residents typically don’t see the impact of the rising deficit, but they do see the daily effects of police brutality, shady real estate deals, ill-equipped social services and failing schools. National politics can be compelling theater. But if you want to make a difference, pay attention to what’s going on right outside your door. Not only does local political decision-making affect you most, it’s also the thing you are most equipped to do something about.