Anaheim civil rights activist Duane Roberts and OC Weekly investigative reporter Gabriel San Ramon drove around downtown Anaheim today to try to find out where all the locations the cops were hiding as they gathered their forces in response to protests.
According to Roberts, “Last year, in preparation for an anti-police demonstration that took place in front of the Anaheim Police Department, they deployed most of their “assets” in a public parking lot just North of Glover Stadium. But today, they weren’t there. So where were they? Gabriel and I discovered that there was a huge deployment at the Anaheim Parks and Recreation Central Yard at 900 E. South Street. Later, they moved an equestrian unit–which Anaheim Police jointly operate with three other law enforcement agencies–to a parking lot behind the Anaheim First Christian Church, located at 520 W South St.”
Hiding by churches? Bad form. And why muster all these troops? Why not just stop harassing the people of Anaheim?
Roberts also wrote (in regard to the picture above), “We discovered there was a massive deployment at the Anaheim Parks and Recreation Central Yard, which is located at 900 E. South Street. Some of my photos didn’t come out very well because I have an older digital camera and cloudy weather affected the lighting. Nevertheless, the below photo is pretty clear, especially if you enlarge it. It shows horses, horse trailers, and police officers from several different law enforcement agencies. Additionally, on your right is the police bus owned by the Anaheim Police Department, which is hidden behind another vehicle. Its view is obscured, but you can make it out.”
Roberts also caught a guy who is with OC Human Relations, which he has caught working with the Anaheim PD before. Wrote Roberts, “Guess who quietly monitored the anti-police brutality demonstration that took place in downtown Anaheim today? James Armendaris, Manager of the Police Community Reconciliation Program at OC Human Relations. Below is a photo I took of him while he was mulling around Anaheim City Hall. You can see his mugshot at the following link: http://www.ochumanrelations.org/about/staff/.”
Roberts caught this guy snooping on a conversation between the mother of a young man shot by the police, and her other son. Wrote Roberts about the picture above, “Below is a photo I took in front of Anaheim Police Department headquarters today of Donna Michelle Acevedo talking to her son. On her left is James Armendaris, Manager of the Police Community Reconciliation Program at OC Human Relations (although his view is obscured). I’m not of the opinion Armendaris deliberately put himself there to listen to what Donna had to say. Nevertheless, after I noticed Donna was talking within earshot of him, I pulled her away and made her aware of who he was.”
Stellar work by Roberts, who I endorsed last year for the Anaheim City Council. Be sure to read his latest article, “Phony As A Three Dollar Bill: How The City Of Anaheim Will Create A Fake Police Oversight Committee.”