“Full House” actress Jodie Sweetin participated in a weekend protest in Los Angeles against the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health. Reports are that she was shoved to the ground by LAPD during a protest that was blocking off the 101 freeway, but was she? Anti-cop sentiments are common in progressive circles but are they justified in this instance?
Look at the video published on social media here. I’ve watched it several times. See if your take is the same as mine.
The person posting the video wrote that Sweetin was thrown to the ground. I don’t see that. It looks to me that she was too close to police on the side of the freeway and one cop pushed her away with an assist from another. She lost her balance and fell. If she was thrown to the ground, the physical action would be clear. Sweetin is pushed from her back to move away. There is no ‘throwing’ going on that I can see. It sounds dramatic but not really the case. Maybe you see something more to the story.
Videos from AIR7 HD and a bystander on the freeway show Sweetin, dressed in all black and carrying a megaphone, tumbling to the ground after being shoved. In the footage, she stands up almost immediately.
Sweetin apparently was not seriously injured.
The LAPD is aware of the incident and reviewing the police response.
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“The LAPD is aware of a video clip of a woman being pushed to the ground by officers not allowing the group to enter on foot and overtake the 101 freeway,” the LAPD tells PEOPLE in a statement. “The force used will be evaluated against the LAPD’s policy and procedure.
“As the nation continues to wrestle with the latest Supreme Court decision, the Los Angeles Police Department will continue to facilitate 1st Amendment rights, while protecting life and property.
Sweetin’s statement was released through her representative.
“I’m extremely proud of the hundreds of people who showed up yesterday to exercise their First Amendment rights and take immediate action to peacefully protest the giant injustices that have been delivered from our Supreme Court,” Sweetin said in a statement provided to ABC News. “Our activism will continue until our voices are heard and action is taken. This will not deter us, we will continue fighting for our rights. We are not free until ALL of us are free.”
She’s right, she has the right to protest. They all do. However, the right to block a public freeway in a busy, major city is not guaranteed. That is a public safety hazard. The rights of protesters don’t trump the rights of innocent citizens. Those cops should have been arresting everyone instead of trying to move them away from the freeway in order to unclog the traffic jam. And, Sweetin looking like she’s trying to get in the faces of the cops by being so close to them was not her finest move. What did she expect them to do?
Sweetin made her name on a family-friendly television program. Her co-star, Candace Cameron Bure, is openly devout in her religious faith and pro-life. Just like in real families, opinions vary. We’ll see if the LAPD decide the cops did anything wrong in dealing with Sweetin’s actions.
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