Trump Supporters Clash With BLM Protesters In Tujunga

SUNLAND-TUJUNGA, CA — Another skirmish broke out Friday in Tujunga between pro and anti-Trump groups that resulted in two arrests.

Police arrested two anti-Trump protesters, including one who allegedly assaulted a Trump supporter with a pipe.

The two groups have been facing off each Friday for about a month in front of the Albertsons on the 6200 block of Foothill Boulevard. A protester with the Against Bigotry Responding With Action group told Patch that they have been demonstrating each Friday since June, and pro-Trump groups began arriving for counter-protests in July. Though a wall of police armed in riot gear stand in the middle of Foothill Boulevard separating the two sides, some form of violence usually breaks out.

“At some point during this altercation, a counter-protester struck a Trump supporter with a pipe,” the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement regarding Friday’s protests.

“While officers were attempting to take the suspect into custody for assault with a deadly weapon, a second counter-protester began to interfere with officers to prevent them from making the arrest.” Police ultimately took both sides into custody.

On Aug. 15, online videos show chaotic punching matches between anti-Trump forces – often dressed in all black, and pro-Trump forces, often wearing red Make America Great caps and American flag clothing. The video shows two people dragging a protester on the ground and kicking them, though it is unclear which side everyone was on. No arrests were made, with the LAPD calling the fight “mutual combat.”

On Aug. 22 at about 3:30 p.m., a crowd of about 30 anti-Trump protesters, many from Against Bigotry Responding With Action, gathered at Fehlhaber-Houk Park in Tujunga, where an organizer announced into a microphone that, “If they do not respect you, they must fear you, but make sure you get out safe.” He encouraged the protesters to stick together, and keep the number of a lawyer handy.

The group then marched in the middle of Tujunga Canyon Boulevard and onto Foothill Boulevard, alternating chants of “Whose streets? Our streets!” and “All Black Lives Matter here!”

At Foothill Boulevard near Del Taco, the group met two other large anti-Trump groups, bringing the total number of protesters to about 200. On the other side of the street, about 50 Trump supporters gathered around a huge float proclaiming “Trump Unity”, which blasted patriotic tunes like “God Bless America” and “America the Beautiful.”

I'm at the anti-fash march in Tujunga organized by @AbraFoothills tense scene already pic.twitter.com/Trq0UFvZYJ
— Border Photog #blm (@desertborder) August 22, 2020

While one side chanted, “Four more years!” another bellowed “Black Lives Matter!” The first violence broke out at 5:19 p.m. when Trump supporters crossed over to the anti-Trump side, and fighting broke out. Smoke bombs went off, and there were unconfirmed reports that pepper spray was used. Police fired rubber bullets to clear out the fighting.

At 5:30, LAPD reinforcements arrived, to the cheers of Trump supporters, and declared the protest an unlawful assembly. A helicopter flew above and warned protesters that they had eight minutes to get out of the street and back onto the sidewalks. A wall of officers blocked off Foothill Boulevard at Saluda Avenue.

At around 5:53, the Trump supporters began to go home, to the jeering chants “Bye bye racists!” from the other side. Anti-Trump supporters began to filter out too, and the scene was clear just after 6 p.m.

Until next week.

- City News Service contributed to this report.