Santa Monica police are bracing for the possibility of violence when anti-vaccine demonstrators rally near the city’s pier on Sunday.
The rally, part of an international day of protest against what participants describe is “medical tyranny,” is being promoted as a peaceful demonstration. But SMDP officers have noted that violence has broken out between anti-vaccine demonstrators and counterprotesters at similar events in cities throughout California, including L.A., Long Beach and Oakland.
“Given the nature of this upcoming event and in an abundance of caution, this weekend you’ll see an increased uniformed police presence throughout the city, and in particular the downtown area,” Santa Monica Interim Police Chief Jacqueline Seabrooks said in a video statement uploaded to the department’s Facebook page on Wednesday.
SMDP asked the Santa Monica City Council to pass an emergency ordinance Thursday evening in preparation for the event, prohibiting 19 types of “weaponizable items” during community events, The Santa Monica Daily Press reported. The measure passed by a council vote of six to one.
The list of banned items includes baseball bats, metal pipes and knives, as well as certain tactical garments such as military vests and gas masks.
“It’s unfortunate that we are seeing the escalation of violence between these two groups at the level that we are seeing and that’s why we’re here tonight to ask council to revisit the ordinance on prohibited items,” Santa Monica Police Capt. Candice Cobarrubias told The Daily Press on Thursday.
The lone objecting vote to the anti-weapons rule belonged to Councilmember Gleam Davis, who questioned SMDP’s ability to enforce the ordinance among hundreds of potential demonstrators. She also expressed concerns about officers possibly deploying the police in a racially discriminatory manner.
“If you have 100 people and 100 of them have bear spray, and 50 percent of them are people of color and 50 percent of them are white, history tells us that the people of color with the bear spray are much more likely to get busted,” Davis said. “I’m not saying that’s what our police department does, but that’s what history tells us.”
The temporary rule has a 180-day sunset clause, during which the council is expected to vote on a potentially permanent weapons ban.
Seabrooks has urged residents to report anything suspicious they may see leading up to and on the day of the rally, and register for the city’s emergency alert system. The department is also supporting local businesses that wish to board up storefronts in advance.