Police release video of the taser incident
Fueled by the national outrage, another series of demonstrations to defund the police emerged after a Black man was killed by a white police officer Saturday in Pasadena.
After a weekend of confrontations with police — including one man who was tasered and some people who were struck with pepper spray, including an 11-year-old boy — activists joined forces via social media to get the word out that Black lives matter. Contrary to social media reports, rubber bullets were not used by Pasadena police on protesters.
On Monday at 5 p.m., scores of residents blocked Raymond Avenue, near Washington, to start a march into the city to demand justice for Black residents, blasting music and carrying signs to defund the police, “Say his name, Anthony McClain” and “ Cops killed Anthony McClain,” to name a few.
Spearhead by local Black Lives Matter activist Jasmine “Abdulla” Richards, the passionate and peaceful group was visibly shaken by the weekend shooting of 32-year-old Anthony McClain who was killed by police following a traffic stop at the corner of North Raymond Avenue and Grandview Street, near La Pintoresca Park.
Mayor Pro Tem Tyron Hampton was present Monday on Raymond where several confrontations took place. Hampton helped quell the rhetoric and discussed the situation privately with a few individuals away from the main crowd. At leave, 150 people gathered near the park and were making handwritten signs to get their message across.
Pasadena Police Chief John Perez on Monday released body-worn camera footage of a tense situation which occurred in La Pintoresca Park following Saturday’s fatal officer-involved shooting. The body worn camera footage released by the police department tells a vivid story of how angry people were in the wake of the shooting.
During Monday’s protest, a huge memorial was set up where McClain lost his life with hundreds of candles and notes as well as pictures of him and the children he leaves behind.
Chief Perez said that more community involvement is the key to getting people to trust officers and get to know them. “We need community support and want to dispel fear … conversation and de-escalation techniques we use can help,” he said.
