The Los Angeles Times has a tradition of lying about the true ideologies and affiliations of far-left groups and individuals. The latest example is particularly odious.

The Save Our State organization held a protest on Saturday at the monument in Baldwin Park CA discussed here (Note that the monument is on public property).

From SOS's report:

...Numerous times we were told that this land is Mexico and that they were taking it back. Numerous times racists epithets were hurled away. One person even hurled a full water bottle at our side and sent one of our activists to the hospital with bleeding in the brain. Unfortunately, she is now in the intensive care unit and we are all praying and hoping for the best.

What started as a rather peaceful and uneventful protest on our side ended in sheer hostility. The counter demonstrators were supposed to rally at the other end of the metrolink station, but proceeded to outflank the Baldwin Park Police Department and traveled through a local neighborhood so that they could formally confront us at the intersection allocated to us for our protest.

In waves they came. Soon outnumbered 500-50 in a community that is 85% Hispanic, crowd control soon became an issue. Rants, chants and Mexican flags filled the air. Their spit and a dragged and kicked American flag covered the ground. It is imperative to note that that was the only American flag displayed by our opponents...

Several links about this event, including pictures and video, are here, here, here, and here. You'll note the signs from the Los Angeles branch of ANSWER, the San Gabriel Valley Neighbors for Peace and Justice, and the International Socialist Organization. ANSWER's announcement of the protest is here and here.

In case you think SOS's report might be overstated, here's a report from one of the protesters:

How did the counter-demo go? We vastly out numbered them and succeeded in driving them away. We won and won big.

After an opening demo with the Aztec Dancers and the City Council, we marched to near where SOS was. The police had barricaded the areas between us. After an hour or so, we went down side streets and confronted SOS directly. They were on one corner, maybe fifteen left, down from a maximum of about fifty. We were on the other three corners, several hundred strong. with 40 police in between. We moved into the intersection. I wasn't sure what the cops would do, so I scanned the side streets for approaching phalanxes of police. But none appeared. We began chanting 'we won't leave until they leave.' And then, to great cheers, the police ordered SOS to leave.

We won! They won't be back to Baldwin Park. I expect this type of confrontation will escalate dramatically in size during the coming summer. People get ready. ( polizeros.com/2005/05/15.html#a5412 )

How did the Los Angeles Times cover this? Read "Protest Over Art Forces Police to Draw the Line" to see their take. The report from David Pierson and Patricia Ward Biederman mentions the confrontation, but only devotes one sentence to a 66 year old woman getting hit in the forehead with a full bottle of water. Further, if you hadn't seen the pictures, videos, and read the other reports you might think it was just one big party for peace and justice:

...Opponents of Save Our State consisted mainly of young adults who said they sent e-mails to Latino and immigrant worker advocacy groups. Many were politically active teenagers and college students who skateboarded to the scene...

David Pierson and Patricia Ward Biederman even describe ANSWER LA as an "antiwar and anti-racism group" without any quotes or hedging. Here's a description of International ANSWER, ANSWER LA's parent group:

International A.N.S.W.E.R. (often, simply ANSWER) is a front group for the Marxist-Leninist Workers World Party (WWP), which uses the anti-war movement as the vehicle by which it promotes Communist ideals and condemns American society, American foreign policy, and capitalism...

Read what lefties David Corn and Marc Cooper have to say about International ANSWER.

The L.A. Times report appears to be the source for an AP report ("Baldwin Park public artwork angers group opposed to illegal immigration") that's appeared in several dozen newspapers since the incident, some even today. All those reports incorrectly state that no one was injured.

There's more on the L.A. Times' report and on the groups involved here.

Please contact readers.rep *at* latimes.com and feedback *at* ap.org with your thoughts on their coverage.

UPDATE: The LAT published a blurb from "a Times Staff Writer" stating that the victim had been observed overnight in an ICU. It also says that police are investigating the attack as an assault with a deadly weapon.

Also, the second paragraph of the main LAT article says that the protest was announced on the John and Ken Show (KFI 640AM Los Angeles). On their show, John and Ken say that that's false. The protest and the monument were discussed on two other KFI shows, but not theirs. They contacted one of the reporters and were told that a correction would be printed. Apparently the reporter was told that by one of the SOS protesters and didn't confirm it.

5/23/05 UPDATE: This page has more photos and video. "Antiwar and anti-racism group" indeed. Posted By The Lonewacko Blog at May 16, 2005 01:33 PM | TrackBack