California Attorney General Rob Bonta today led a coalition of 17 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in Los Angeles Press Club, et al. v. Kristi Noem, et al. supporting journalists and protesters challenging the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) dangerous use of force during protests in Los Angeles this past summer. During the largely peaceful demonstrations that arose in response to the Trump Administration’s sweeping immigration raids, federal agents deployed tear gas, pepper balls, rubber bullets, and other dangerous weapons “indiscriminately and with surprising savagery,” injuring peaceful protesters, legal observers, and journalists in the process. In a brief filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, the attorneys general argue that the tactics employed by these federal agents, including their inappropriate use of dangerous crowd control weapons, infringed on the First Amendment rights of protesters and the media, while also failing to accomplish their purported goal of lessening public unrest.
“The Trump Administration used dangerous weapons against peaceful protesters and journalists in an attempt to discourage communities nationwide from reporting on and protesting the President’s aggressive immigration raids,” said Attorney General Bonta. “We will not allow the federal government’s bully tactics to undermine Americans’ First Amendment rights. My office will continue to oppose threats to free, safe speech wherever and whenever they arise.”