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19
Sep 2010
Parade peaceful in wake of unrest

Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck was joined by about 50,000 people at Sunday's 27th Central American Parade in Los Angeles, an annual street fair that was somewhat overshadowed by recent friction between police and some factions in the MacArthur Park area.

No arrests or disruptions were reported.

The parade, which concluded a two-day festival at MacArthur Park, began at 11 a.m. and drew a few protesters mixed in with the throng of celebrants, said Sgt. Joseph Sanchez at the nearby LAPD Rampart Station.

"There was some of the Revolutionary Community Party members there," Sanchez said. "They were scattered about among the crowd handing out leaflets to support their organization."

Sanchez said the parade had been pretty quiet, with no arrests or disruptions of any sort.

"The parade is over now. Everybody's over at the festival at the park," Sanchez said, adding that things remained peaceful late into the afternoon.

Bicycle officers from the Rampart Division shot and killed illegal immigrant Manuel Jaminez near MacArthur Park on Sept. 5 as he was allegedly brandishing a knife and threatening passersby, including a pregnant woman and a 4-year-old boy.

The shooting sparked some outrage in the largely immigrant community in the Westlake District, prompting protests and marches held against the Los Angeles Police Department. But some residents said the protests were the work of fringe groups or outsiders.

The LAPD is a cosponsor of the annual fair, which is held in the densely populated area west of downtown that is home to tens of thousands of people, many from Central America.

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