South Los Angeles black residents joined activist groups as well as union workers, church leaders and more for the flag burning.
No Oath Keepers here. The anti-government group planned to protest outside of Rep. Maxine Waters’s office because she urged the public to “push back” against Trump officials in public. But after dozens of counter-protesters arrived, they didn’t show. @KPCC @LAist pic.twitter.com/PVL3m6EsoO
— Caleigh Wells (@cgrey307) July 19, 2018
The black crowd stomped on the US flag before setting alight the stars and stripes while cheering when it erupted into flames. They proudly waved the Pan-African flag.
Twitter quiz: where was this photo taken?
1) Africa
2) Middle East
3) Philipines
4) Los Angeles pic.twitter.com/uCPuM4Xz3H— Bob Kostic (@causticbob) July 20, 2018
Along with slogans such as “black power” and “Resist!”, the Democratic “counter-protesters” chanted: “This is not the American flag, this is their flag.” They were referring to the Oath Keepers who did not turn up.
On the Oath Keepers website, members of the organisation were scheduled to protest against recent statements by Waters encouraging members of the public to confront members of the Trump administration wherever they might encounter them.
“This is both a protest against Maxine Waters’ incitement of terrorism, and a stand FOR ICE and the Border Patrol, as they enforce the perfectly constitutional immigration and naturalization laws of this nation,” said statement published Tuesday on the website. “We expect this to be an ongoing protest for an indefinite time.”
The group planned their protest outside Waters’s office because she has urged the public to “push back” against Trump officials in public.
“Before our protest against Maxine Waters’ incitement of violence was scheduled to begin, our advance team leader on the ground, Johnny Itliong, along with the leadership of MAGA Girls, met with LAPD leadership,” the Oath Keepers said in a statement.
“LAPD informed our leadership that there were already 50 Maxine Waters supporters in front of her office armed with steel pipes and baseball bats. And LAPD also stated there were three busloads full of other Maxine Waters supporters staged nearby, waiting for us to arrive before they deployed.”
The Los Angeles police told the Oath Keeper leadership that they could not guarantee the safety of any protesters, and strongly advised that the protest not be held because of the danger.
“LAPD added that if a riot occurred, and we were attacked, the LAPD officers would withdraw and we would be on our own.”
Big S/O to the swaths of Black Men that went to L.A. to confront armed White Supremacists threatening Maxine Waters. BM will always show up to defend our Women. pic.twitter.com/0uio5KMrzS
— Thirston Jenkins (@MarkieTheMark) July 20, 2018
Black activists showed up armed with steel pipes and bats, in an angry mob. Footage showed Waters’ supporters chasing one man down the street, apparently just because he was white, with one Maxine Waters supporter, who was filming, asking others “did you chase that white boy down the ally?”
Ironically, the Oath Keepers is overtly anti-racist. Their bylaws expressly deny membership to anyone who discriminates on race. Their call to action for this protest clearly stated: “Other patriotic groups are welcome to participate in this protest, so long as they support the Constitution and do not discriminate on racial lines.”
One of their leaders Johnny Itliong, who is also on their national Board of Directors, is half Filipino and half Mexican, and one of their national LEO Liaisons, Greg McWhirter is a current serving black police officer.
